Crippled
by Paynis
Summary: It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** : It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Issei could still very much remember the exact moment that changed his life forever. It was cliché, almost disgustingly so even. It was in the break of his last year in junior high, a few months away from first year High School. In fact, it was actually when him and his friends, Matsuda and Motohama had just finished taking the entrance exam to Kuoh Academy and were talking about what they would do at the bountiful harvest of women in the only recently co-ed school when disaster struck.

A drunk truck driver, a few moments of ignorance brought on by the happiness of talking to one's friends about topics of interest, a careless lack of belief in their own mortality inherent in the youth who had no need to contemplate the inevitability of death. Through all this little, inconsequential things that it happened.

Issei could still perfectly see the image mere frames before it happened. A joke told by Motohama that caused both him and Matsuda to laugh, taking their eyes of the road for a few seconds, the desperate honking of the horn by an inebriated driver, driving far too fast to be safe, that recognized moments too late what was going on in front of him. Issei's sudden realization that whatever he did, it would ultimately futile as the front of the car was almost upon him.

In a moment of pure adrenaline, pure reflex of his body, in what he believed to be his final act of life, he shoved away both Matsuda and Motohama, pushing them out of the way of the moving vehicle.

The hurtling truck slammed into his body a single frame of time after.

After that, it became cloudy.

All he remembered was being in a haze of pure agony, his body hurting _everywhere._ No, that wasn't true. He couldn't move anything and the lower part of his body, his right leg, was frightfully numb.

He was sure that that cold meant he was on the fast track to whatever afterlife there was, so imagine his surprise when he woke up nearly a week later, drugged to the gills with painkillers, morphine or something and what seemed like his entire body wrapped up in bandages like a mummy. He didn't really remember that one. He remembered his parents crying over him at his bedside, in sadness at the pain their son was going through and in relief, knowing that he was going to survive a freaking truck slamming into him at roughly a hundred kilometers per hour. If he was slightly more religious, he would thank whatever god he believed in for his intense luck. As it was, the experience simply gave him a much better appreciation for life in general.

His friends visited him too, occasionally even bringing along some of their treasures and giving it to him. Honestly, Issei found it a bit much but they insisted, saying that it was the least they could do since he did save them and all.

Occasionally, a doctor that he didn't know the name of came by, asking the usual stuff, 'are you eating right?', or, 'have you experienced any blinding pain recently?'

It was yes to the latter and a no to the former.

When asked by the concerned doctor, Issei told him that it was rather hard to eat when your insides feel like it's killing you with every swallow. That kind of thing kind of makes you lose your appetite.

The doctor agreed with the point and wrote something down on his clipboard. Issei hoped that it was something more professional than, 'patient experiences blinding pain: feed him oatmeal' or something.

A few hours later after yet another visit by the doctors, right when his parents where in the middle of telling him about what was going on in their neighborhood, which lady got pregnant, which boy dropped out of school, the usual gossip, he suddenly fell unconscious, convulsing and frothing at the mouth. At least, that's how he pictured it. That was what happens in the movies.

After he thankfully regained consciousness, the same doctor came by with an x-ray, saying something about a missed piece of glass that penetrated into his brain and assuring him and his parents that they were doing everything they can to fix it and that it was merely happenstance that they missed the freaking shard of glass inside his head and that it wasn't going to happen again and that they were going to treat him as best as they could.

In other words, they were sucking up to them in order to not get their asses sued for missing something that really should have been obvious. Even _he_ knew that patients with massive head wounds should have been x-rayed at the first chance they could get.

After one such conversation where the Hyoudou Family was provided with luxury steaks for lunch, free of charge naturally, and the doctor that he really should know the name of by now was talking about free healthcare from here on out that Issei noticed something.

Numbers. Numbers absolutely _everywhere_. Floating in the air, sitting on top of objects, lazily waving about people. Everywhere he looked, those numbers stared back at him. He hesitantly reached out to touch one of them and found that his fingers simply passed right through him, telling him that this was all in his head.

Now Issei was never what you would call a genius, in fact, he was downright bookdumb, barely passing his subjects in junior high. The only time he studied seriously was a few months ago and that was all for the sake of getting into Kuoh Academy, the school full of dreams (for him and his friends at least).

However, after days of the numbers staring into him, it suddenly all _made sense._ He didn't know how, or when it started, but he suddenly gained an aptitude for the subject that made many a student cry in frustration at the seemingly illogical way the numbers move.

Not to Issei, at least, not anymore. He didn't know what the numbers meant or what it did. All he knew was that it made _sense._

One day, he asked Matsuda and Motohama both for math books that they owned and they bought it the next day (along with a few more questionable materials), asking him if he really was _that_ bored.

He freaked them all out, his friends, family and doctors alike, when in a span of 10 minutes, he finished two High-school level mathematics book as easily and naturally as Da Vinci with his art.

The doctor-Yukihira, he finally got after nearly three weeks of being confined- took one long look at him and left the room, bringing with him a college-level mathematics book that was thicker than the last two _combined._ It had materials in it that even some medical doctors couldn't answer, instead laughing sheepishly and grinning in embarrassment.

Issei finished it in under thirty minutes.

After that display, the doctor pulled him to the side-not literally since he was still bedridden, more spoke to him privately- and told him that he had…..something happen to him, Issei didn't get the gibberish, understanding only that it has happened before with other patients all over the world, ordinary people that got into an accident and somehow managed to suddenly become mathematical geniuses or art prodigies. He called it something that resembled acquired savant syndrome but without the mental deficiency that usually came with it.

Completely normal until the point that they weren't.

A week and a few operations later, Issei finally got the go ahead to get out of bed. It was awkward, Yukihira-sensei telling him that a part of his spine was cracked or broken or something and that, although his right leg was still somewhat functional, it would cripple him for the rest of his life and that he would require the use of a crutch to be able to walk. Either that or a wheelchair.

Since Issei wanted to _at least_ have a modicum of freedom, he opted for the crutch.

It was tough getting used to it sure. Throughout all his life, he was sure that he would remain relatively fit and healthy and that the walking implements he sometimes saw in the supermarkets would forever be a moot point to him.

Nice to know that his preconceptions were being proven wrong this early in the game. It would save him a ton of disappointment later on in life.

Yes, he knew was being a bit cynical, but give him a break. He was 15 years old and he just got out of the hospital after surviving a car crash-the driver was still alive, though he was facing charges and prison time- and he was now crippled for the rest of his hopefully long life.

And the numbers _still_ wouldn't leave him alone.

He learned to ignore it, the human ability to adapt making itself known to him, but it still somewhat irked him. Sometimes, during school especially-first semester started two weeks ago and he actually got accepted into Kuoh Academy along with his friends- he found that his gaze would sometimes wander to those numbers, numbers that, which to others, did not really exist.

So, along with the title of one of the Pervert Trio in the school, he was also known as someone who frequently spaces out, staring at nothing.

All that meant that the famed highschool debut that every student dreamt of was still out of his reach. He tried to stop being a pervert, he really did and he was already improving on that front, but….well…he was 15. A period where raging hormones did absolutely nothing to help with the teachings of that old man that imprinted the beauty of ero firmly into his young impressionable mind. It also didn't help that his friends were somehow even _more_ perverted than he was, even peeping into the cracks, crevices and holes they had found over the course of their _three days_ in school. Any other time he would gladly join them, but sometimes, all the time really, Lady Luck seemed to ignore the two just as much as real girls did and they would get caught where they had to run in order to save themselves from violent beatings.

Issei, as is befitting a normal human being, didn't want to get hurt so he opted to stay out of the operation. Besides, the doctor said that he should ignore strenuous exercises as much as possible for _at least_ the next year in order to make sure that he didn't go all relapsing and going back to the hospital, and he was _pretty_ sure that running away for his life from a horde of angry teenage girls ready to do him violence counted as strenuous.

So after classes, instead of going with the peeping or generally just ogling the women of their school, Issei went home and **studied**. Not the school material, he wasn't that bored and lonely. He was looking up what those numbers mean because he was sure that they _meant_ something. It took him months of cramming, late nights of staring at textbooks thicker than anything he had ever read before and probably enough caffeine to stop a bull elephant's heart two times over, but after all that, he was successful in finding out just _what_ was going on with him.

Physics.

It was simple physics. The numbers that were everywhere, which surrounded him and which had become a staple in his life was a numerical representation of what was going on in the world around him, numbers that represented the inner workings of the universe, working with each other on such a ridiculously small scale that Issei was pretty sure that no normal human even knew it existed.

Gravity pushing down on an object, the drag a ball experiences as it flies through the air, force exerted by a person pushing on a cart, friction the ground provides as it pushes the cart in the opposite direction, the tiny bits of interaction between matter and matter, all of that and more was going on right in front of Issei in the form of numbers.

Sometimes, whenever he would feel poetic, he would look at those tiny, tiny numbers, constantly shifting and changing, reminding him that, whether or not he does anything or nothing, the world still moves and it would make Issei feel very, very small.

Honestly, it gave Issei a better appreciation for the usually despised subject of mathematics.

His fervor wasn't missed by the student body of Kuoh Academy. One of the already infamous Three Perverts in school who were usually heard to be talking about things that simply should not be said in public had a ridiculously different side to him. As such, it wasn't so out of it to think that he attracted at least _some_ attention from the not so normal students in the otherwise regular school.

()()()()()()()()()

That first time she saw him, it was during one of her irregular patrols of the school, inside one of the first year classrooms, a little over an hour after class, where every other student was either at home or was in their respective clubs. He was sitting on the teacher's desk which, she noticed, was pulled closer to the blackboard than normal, a stick of chalk on one hand and a book on the other, his crutch laid down against the wood of the desk by his side.

He had a thoughtful frown on his face and he occasionally took a break from his inspection of whatever it was on the board to look down onto his book.

Sona looked away from the student and instead moved her gaze to the board and what she saw made her eyebrows raise in surprise.

The first year, Hyoudou Issei, was somewhat infamous in the school, not as much as his two friends to be sure-he didn't peep like those two, and wasn't that a relief for the Student Council President- but still enough to paint the image of an underachiever that only got into the prestigious Kuoh Academy because of pure luck and/or divine intervention worthy of Jeanne d'Arc herself.

So imagine her shock and wonder when, instead of the schoolwork she was expecting him to be desperately catching up on, she instead was faced with high-level mathematics that no first-year student had any business with knowing, let alone writing with the obvious familiarity he possessed.

Hell, there were things written in there that _she_ didn't understand, and she-Souna would admit with no small amount of pride- was known as the genius of her generation.

After a few more minutes of observing the supposed pervert work through what Souna could only very vaguely recognize, she cleared her throat to make her presence know.

To his credit, Hyoudou Issei did not flinch, but he did turn to her with a puzzled expression.

"Ah, Kaichou." He said nervously, eyes roaming across her body before finally focusing on her eyes.

Souna inwardly sighed but made sure to keep her outward appearance composed. She felt disappointed that the rumors about him turned out to be true but wasn't surprised. Where there was smoke, there was usually fire after all.

"Hyoudou-kun," She began, taking another glance at the multitude of numbers and letters written down on board. "shouldn't you be on your way home now? It's getting quite late and it would be bad if you were to get into an accident." Sona gave his crutch a meaningful look.

Hyoudou Issei took one look at the clock and murmured. "It's that late already?" He grabbed his crutch and awkwardly got down from the desk, putting down the chalk and trying to open his bag in one hand while the other gripped at his support.

Sona took one look at him and decided on a course of action.

"K-Kaichou?" He stuttered as the glasses-wearing second year gently pushed away his hands and began to help him pack.

"It's the responsibility of the Student Council President to help the students in need." She calmly said, zipping his bag close and handing it to him. "You can go home now Hyoudou-kun."

"But the blackboard-"

"I'll take care of it." She smoothly intoned, picking up the eraser.

"Well…..if you're sure Kaichou." Hyoudou Issei rubbed the back of his head and began to leave the room. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Hyoudou-kun." Sona returned, the smile leaving her to be replaced by a contemplative expression, staring at the board that was filled end to end. She took out her phone and took multiple pictures of the equations, making sure that she didn't miss even a single one before erasing it all.

She can think that over later. For now, she had her duties to fulfill.

()()()()()()()()()

The first time he saw her, he didn't stare and drool over her body like he usually would. He wasn't slackjawed as most other males won't to do when they captured the attention of someone with her kind of beauty.

The first thing he noticed was the numbers. That itself wasn't unusual –not anymore at least, he had long since gotten used to them- but the values it displayed was different from everybody else.

Humans, he observed over the last few months, had a lot of differences in their bodies. Their weight, body types and compositions, their nutrition from what their usual diet, hell, even their hobbies affect things like muscle mass and the like, but usually, that was all superficial- tiny even- compared to the important ones.

The body was made mostly out of the same elements and usually nothing else: carbon, oxygen etcetera.

So imagine his surprise when Rias Gremory approached him and what he saw in her was _different._ Nothing silly as her being silicon-based instead of carbon like most life on the world, but it was different enough to warrant his caution.

"Gremory-senpai." He said slowly, ignoring the cries of surprise around him, especially the ones with a hint of outrage from Matsuda and Motohama.

"Are you Hyoudou Issei?" She asked, a glimmer of something flashing in her eye.

Well, if one of the Great Onee-samas of Kuoh Academy approaching the Pervert Trio wasn't enough to cause a scene, then personally talking to one of them cut the cake.

"Yes." Issei answered cautiously, turning to her and nervously handling his crutch. "What is this about?"

"Nothing." She said with a quirky smile. "I just wanted to see the person who caught her eye up close." After saying her piece, she turned and sashayed away, no doubt attracting the attention of all the males and quite a few females in the area.

"What was that about Issei?" Motohama asked, more confused than anything else at the somewhat weird series of events that just transpired. When he turned to Issei, he paused at the unusually contemplative look in his eyes.

Rias Gremory was different, that much he was sure, her looks, family and disposition hinted at that, but it was the numbers that made Issei curious about her, though she certainly wasn't unique in that regard.

No, Issei saw something similar to Rias Gremory in one other student in the school, none other than the esteemed Student Council President of Kuoh Academy, Souna Sitri.

He still wasn't sure if he should investigate further or if he should just keep quiet to himself. After all, the nail that sticks out is usually the one that's hammered down, and he really didn't want to see what Rias Gremory and Souna Sitri could do given the right incentive.

For now, he would just have to pacify himself with looking at the numbers and trying to figure out what they meant, making sure to not tell anyone what he sees.

Lips tell lies, actions misdirect, but the numbers never lie. You just have to look deep in order to find out what stories they tell.

()()()()()()()()()

As it was, despite all of his earlier thoughts and assurances to himself that he wouldn't get himself in trouble from investigating things he had no business shoving his nose into, he got himself stuck waist deep in…..well, trouble. The problem was, he wasn't sure who to blame, Fate, or himself.

He was walking-hobbling really, what with his injured leg and all- with Matsuda and Motohama to the latter's home in order to watch the new Blu-ray DVD they had all pitched in to buy when a string of numbers began to show up and the story it told Issei was not by any means a pleasant one.

In the air was iron, and quite a bit of it too as the numbers indicated, only increasing as it snaked further and further away into the outer parts of town.

Of course, Issei _could_ be wrong, he wasn't all-seeing by any means, and although the numbers rarely, if ever, tell lies, he was still human, and humans made mistakes all the time especially in something as delicate as interpreting what the figures told.

In fact, in the context of this problem, he _hoped_ he was wrong because if he wasn't….well, that mean bad things for someone out there.

He could even be wrong in saying that it was iron. He had only ever observed the element up close once and that was only from the tears of blood that wept from a particularly deep paper cut almost a whole month ago.

For a moment, he seriously contemplated just walking away, looking to the other direction and going by his business like any sane person out there.

After all, iron in the air could mean something like a construction site and it seemed a much more likely occurrence rather than anything else right?

"Hey Issei, you okay?" Matsuda asked in concern, waving a hand over his face.

Issei blinked, looking at the former jock friend of his. "Yeah, why?"

"You've been spacing out for a minute now." Motohama pointed out, pushing up his glasses. "Do you need to go to the hospital or something?"

"N-No I'm fine." Issei shook his head. "I…..just forgot something that my parents asked me to buy for them."

"Should we wait for you?" Motohama asked, holding up the bag that held their recent purchase. "Or do we watch it another day? It's getting late after all."

"No, you go on ahead." Issei waved off. "I'll watch it another day."

"But we bought it together, with our money!" Matsuda argued. "It's only right that we watch it together too!"

"I'll just borrow it after you guys are done. Then how about we watch it again, after all of us finished watching it?" He suggested, trying hard to keep his gaze on his friends and not on the slowly disappearing trail of numbers.

"…..Are you sure Issei?" Matsuda asked, obligation for the three of them to watch it together warring with the desire to WATCH IT NOW DAMMIT!

"I'm sure guys." Issei said, shooing them away with his free hand. "Just be sure to bring it tomorrow."

"Okay!" Matsuda and Motohama waved their goodbyes to him, picking up their pace in their eagerness to watch their new acquirement.

Issei watched them disappear behind the buildings as they turned a corner, a pensive expression now etched into his face.

"I'm just going to look." He told himself, walking towards the direction of the trail of iron which was slowly fading away. "If I see something I'm not supposed to...I'll throw my crutch at them." Issei snorted self-derisively. "Yeah, that'll work."

What he saw there surprised him and stopped him in his tracks. He had braced himself to see violence, maybe a group beating or a gang war. Hell, he had even resigned himself to see a murder. Even bracing himself for the worst, he was still really surprised when his guess was almost spot on.

The distinctive uniform of their uniform told him that the two senpais he had recently met with really _was_ more than what meets the eye, and he'd assume they were _not_ murdering psychopaths both because he didn't want to think the worst of people and because of their reputation in school . The crimson red hair and the unmistakable presence that was the Student Council President made it impossible for them to be anyone else.

Okay, that he could somewhat understand, given that he had taken a closer look at the two before and had come to the conclusion that they weren't normal by any means, and if he wanted proof, then all he had to do was remember the scene happening in front of him right at this moment.

What was surprising was some other students a bit too far away to properly identify, especially as they were in high-speed combat almost too fast to be seen by the naked eye, were currently locked in a life-or-death battle against what seemed to be the lovechild of Cthulhu and a scorpion with an extra face in its midsection that moved.

Issei could recognize Akeno Himejima well enough though. It was kind of hard to miss one of the Two Great Onee-sama in the school, both of whom had received their titles even just in their second year.

It was even stranger when, according to rumors, some Third Year Students call girls a year younger than them by the title too.

Still, in hindsight Issei really should have expected it when everyone in the clearing had the same values floating out of them as the two women who were standing at the back, Souna explaining something to the girl with brown hair that ended in two braids who was staring at the scene with a mix between shock and awe.

No actually, that wasn't true, Issei recognized, staring at the latter two. The girl Souna was with, the numbers were…..more human somehow. Still different from normal human beings granted, but it was recognizable enough. And there was still that…something right in the middle of her chest, and whatever it was...Issei couldn't even begin to describe it.

In fact, all of the other members of the Student Council, the ones currently locked in a life-or-death struggle against something that wouldn't be out of place from nightmares, had more in common with her rather than Souna who, Issei theorized, was some kind of leader to them or something.

"-sorry you had to see that Reya." Sona was saying, looking towards the scene of interest with disdain. "This Stray Devil here seemed to be a pretty recent 'guest' seeing as the higher-ups had not said anything yet. Still, it gave me the opportunity to tell you all about the Peerage System, so some good came out of it, won't you agree?" Souna asked with a small tilt of her mouth towards the still shell-shocked student.

"H-Hai Kaichou." She muttered, dazed, still staring at the last, valiant even, but ultimately futile struggle of the so called 'Stray Devil' as its strength began to slowly wither away and eventually vanish, meeting its demise at the end of a blonde student's sword.

Rias watched the two's interaction from the sidelines with a somewhat bitter yet genuinely happy smile on her face. "Souna."

"Rias." Sona returned, looking to her rival and leaving Reya alone with her thoughts for a while. "Thank you for coming to help. It would have been a disaster if Reya was thrown suddenly into a hunt so soon after being resurrected." She looked at the new addition to her peerage. "As it is, she's still coming to terms with it."

"We've all been there." Rias said, laying a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder while Souna returned it with a flat, unimpressed gaze.

"Your Knight is a survivor of the Holy Sword Project, your Rook is a species of nekomata so rare it's almost extinct with only two known survivors remaining of which she is one of them and the other her sister. Your Bishop is a vampire with a Sacred Gear so powerful he had to be sealed off and don't even get me started on your Queen."

Rias coughed sheepishly, looking away in embarrassment. "Well if you put it that way." She pouted.

Sona shrugged, turning back to the approaching group of students walking towards them. "You have your peerage and I have mine. I wouldn't ever trade them for the world."

The Gremory Heir smiled. "Me neither."

 _'That's enough.'_ Issei thought, slowly easing back to from where he came from, making sure to not make any noise at all. His mind was whirling from everything he had found out for the night, and if he saw any more, he was afraid he would snap, deny reality, or turn into one of those doomsayers in the road.

So Issei, having left the premises, missed the following exchange.

"Buchou, someone was there." Koneko reported.

"I know." Rias confirmed, staring at the tree where Issei had been leaning against now that he wasn't there to be frightened off by their attention. "I was waiting for him to come closer." She stole a sideways glance towards her fellow King. "You sensed him too I believe?"

"Of course." Sona said, adjusting her glasses. "Hyoudou Issei, a recent person of interest in school. I even have some thoughts of recruiting him for one of my own…" She trailed off thoughtfully, remembering the equations he had been solving in that blackboard.

"If you say that kind of thing, then it makes me want to steal him for myself too." Rias said jokingly but with a tone of desperation so well hidden that anyone who hadn't known Rias for as long as Souna had would have missed it.

Sona's eyes flashed as she pursed her lips.

Rias was getting desperate. She knew that Rias' family was slowly pressuring her into accepting the marriage proposal from the Phenex family which the redhead had vehemently refused seeing as the third son- and wasn't that just insulting? Rias Gremory who was desired by the whole of the Underworld and the sister of the Maou Lucifer wasn't even worth the heir of the family?- was known as an arrogant playboy and somewhat of an asshole.

Sona was actually unlucky enough to be visiting her when the argument came up. It wasn't pretty.

Still, sympathetic as she was for her childhood friend's plight, she couldn't even _think_ about letting go of someone with as much potential as Issei Hyoudou. When the brunet should eventually learn how to use magic, and Souna would make it her life goal to make him learn if she had to, then the president had no doubt that he would be phenomenal, especially with that gift of his.

And that was what it was: A gift.

His affinity with numbers bordered on the miraculous. Sona didn't quite know to what extent, but the math written down on the board alone could have created and powered several high-class spells with barely any magical excess being wasted whatsoever.

Sona doubted that even with her using the whole of her devil magic-which was more powerful but wild, and not regular ones, much more precise and ordered, just the way she preferred- she would be able to match a spell backed up by that kind of equation.

Rias- and Sona secretly envied her for her abundance of her hereditary power- was more powerful than her at the expense of control, but with enough time, Sona was sure that Hyoudou Issei would be able to outmatch, perhaps overpower even _her,_ the so called Crimson-Haired Princess of Ruin.

Still, if she offered him a position so soon, then he may grow suspicious and she couldn't have that, not when that talent that was just waiting to bloom was still untended, dormant. No, she would have to work her way into his life _and then_ drop hints about the possibility of him joining her forces, and what an asset he would become.

Just thinking about him made the Greed inherent in all devils flare up in desire.

()()()()()()()()()

The next morning was used in convincing himself that, yes, last night really did just happen, yes, he now had solid proof that Rias Gremory and Souna Shitori were by no means normal human beings, if they were that even, and no, he was not going insane anytime soon, or at least, he hoped that he wasn't. It would just plain suck if he was.

So Issei went through his usual morning routine, showering, dressing up, eating dinner made by a now more doting mother, talking to a more engaged father and then leaving to go to school nearly half an hour early, turning down his parent's offers to walk him there as was the usual since the school year started.

He walked through the familiar roads with his now familiar gait. During Junior High, he would leave the house fifteen minutes before classes would officially start, meeting up with Matsuda and Motohama later down the road, and they would reach their classroom just a few minutes before the bell rang, signifying start of classes.

Since Kuoh Academy which was roughly the same distance to his house as their school before, he stupidly left home at the same time when he was fresh off the hospital. To be fair, he really didn't realize that walking with a crutch would be all that different.

Still, after nearly getting himself and his friends late for first period, his right leg protesting quite a bit at the abuse he had abruptly heaped on it, he made sure that he leave early from then on in order to save himself some pain.

"Issei, you don't know it yet, but you're so sorry you missed last night!" Matsuda grinned as he and Motohama approached their disabled friend.

"Yeah, you missed it. The DVD was amazing!" The four-eyes gushed out, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes. "It was everything I dreamed it would be, nay, it was more! It was a slice of heaven itself taking the form of a disc!"

Issei looked at the two of them with blandly amused eyes. "You done yet?"

"Yeah."

"Pretty much."

The two nodded, composing themselves again. Motohama took out the case and handed it to Issei. "You really should try it out you know. The story was surprisingly touching, better than anything I've watched so far."

Issei received it with a bemused smile. "Thanks." He placed it on his bag with care, Motohama would probably throw a fit if it got a scratch or something, he was weird like that, and the three began to talk about stuff that normal teenagers talked about. Assignments they didn't do, topics in classes they didn't understand, little things that made up a normal high school life.

So it was understandably at that moment that Fate decided to take one look at Issei pointed at him, saying, 'that guy' and let her sister, Life- who was just as finicky as Fate, only a lot more hands on- take a shot at him.

None other than Rias Gremory and Souna Shitori were standing just outside the gates and, if their smiles that were directed right at him were anything to go by, were waiting for him.

Any other time, Issei would be flattered, after all, it wasn't everyday that one attracted two idols of the school, but seeing as the timing was simply just too perfect, then he considered himself to be in the right to be cautious.

Any hope he had left that he was _not_ their target was dashed to tiny little pieces when they approached him with an almost eager air.

"Hyoudou-kun, we would really appreciate it-" Souna said, fixing her glasses.

"if you would come with us for a…..talk." Rias finished for her friend, sending the now uncomfortable teen a coquettish smile.

Okay, Issei would have no problem admitting, this part is cool. Being escorted by two beautiful women would never be bad in _any_ universe but still….the glares at his direction was quickly turning from uncomfortable to downright painful.

After the schoolyard equivalent of a penitentiary walk, the three teens were now in the Student Council Room, empty except for them.

"Hyoudou-kun." Souna began after a few moments of thoughtful silence. "Would I be correct in assuming that you know about us?"

Issei, who was twirling his crutch around with his fingers- a habit he had recently picked whenever his mind was wandering- sighed and nodded. "I'm fairly certain that both of you aren't human."

Souna and Rias exchanged a look. Issei took that as a sign that they were expecting that already. Seeing as he wasn't about to be killed or have his mind erased or something, that must be a good thing.

"What else?" Rias asked.

He thought for a while then said, more to Souna than Rias. "I think that the Student Council is something like you right? But they feel more…human."

When the two rose their eyebrows in unison, Issei assumed that he hit the bullseye on that one.

They exchanged another look, before Rias asked, almost confused. "Issei-kun," The brunet made a mental note on how she used his first name so casually. "are you aware of the supernatural? Are you a magician? Or a Sacred Gear user?"

Issei cocked his head to the last one but said. "I've only found out about you last night."

"Then why aren't you surprised?" Sona pressed, leaning forward. "Most people would have a stronger reaction than that! Shock or even fear is normal when faced with Devils for the first time!"

The numerical savant blinked at that one. "Y-You're devils?"

"I think he didn't know that one yet." Rias told Souna dryly at Issei's perplexed expression.

"Prove it." He said once he got full control over his body again, not believing their claims to devildom until he got proof.

Souna and Rias took one look at each other and nodded, black, leathery wings reminiscent of a bat unfurling from their backs.

"Do you believe us now Issei-kun?" Rias asked, a playful smile on her lips.

Issei ignored her in favor of staring at the appendages that came from nowhere, at least, to anyone else's eyes.

Those wings of theirs…..they were part of what made them firmly non-human. It was them that contributed, at least in part, to all those extra numbers flying around the two now-discovered devils.

"Hyoudou-kun." Souna approached the silent teen, looking uncertain. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah yeah." He muttered, rather rudely since she _was_ concerned for his wellbeing, pressing a palm against his forehead.

Souna paused for a while, taking a deep breath then putting out in a rather rushed tone. "Hyoudou-kun, I know that you're still not ready for this kind of thing, I would really like to be able to be the one who would teach you all about magic."

Issei blinked. "Why?" He asked, honestly surprised by her declaration.

Rias gave out a sigh that somehow conveyed fondness and exasperation at the same time, already looking as if she was expecting something

"Because it would be a crime, to see all that potential of yours wither away! Your affinity with numbers could make you into one of the most gifted and talented magicians to ever exist!" Apparently Sona was the type to get caught in the moment as she leaned forward and eagerly grabbed onto Issei's shoulders, eyes shining brightly, voice passionate. "It is my duty, no my privilege to be able to be the one to help your talents bloom! I will make sure that you receive the instruction you need, the instruction you **deserve,** until you blossom into the splendid magician I'm sure you're capable of becoming!"

Issei sat, speechless as Sona finished her monologue. Not knowing what to do, he gave a helpless look at Rias who smiled and said in a conspiratorial whisper. "Sona here wants to be a teacher in a future."

The aforementioned teen coughed, drawing back from Issei with a slight blush of embarrassment. "You didn't have to tell him that Rias."

"It was kind of obvious." The redhead pointed out.

"So what do you say Hyoudou-kun?" Sona turned to him, willfully ignoring Rias who smiled in victory.

"After a speech like that how could I say no?" Issei sighed in defeat.

The grin on Sona's face was a sight to look at.

()()()()()()()()()

It was later at night, when Issei was just about to go to sleep when a thought occurred to him.

"What did Gremory-senpai want with me?" He wondered out loud.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **A new story's out. Bring out the confetti and horns. Yayyyyyyyyy.**

 **Okay, just to clear things up early on; no, Issei is not going to be a Devil in this one. He's going to be firmly human for the forseeable future, contracted with Devils and in league with shady people to be sure, but still human.**

 **This story is also going to take on a slightly more cynical take on DxDverse. Not to ridiculous, grimderp levels though. Just...wanna make characters seem more like people, and people don't usually trust each other very well unless they have good reason to**

 **I will also take some liberties with canon, not a lot, just a little, like Issei being friends with Motohama and Matsuda before High School because I have no idea if it's true or not and can't be bothered since they're not really all that important. Sorry guys.**

 **I will also be a bit free with magic in the DxDverse since I don't really know in-universe mechanics all that much. The science, physics, chemistry etc. are also most probably made up since, well, I'm in first year college and am far from an expert on the topic. I'll probably use google from time to time, but that's it. Please don't go on a crusade against me for that.**

 **Now that that's out of the picture, I just want to say that the crutch I had in mind when I was writing this one is the one Accelerator owns. The first one, not the weird ass thing with four legs.**

 **No, I'm not giving up on Pasts, College is just giving me more problems than I thought. Not sure about which one I should update more often though, Pasts or this one.**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Inside the Occult Research Clubroom, nestled in the forest of Kuoh Academy, Rias Gremory was pacing relentlessly, the tea that her close friend and Queen laid down for her untouched on the table, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts and ideas, each one that passed by being discarded just as quickly.

No matter what was going on, one truth remained.

She was slowly being pressured into accepting the engagement to Riser Phenex, third son of the noble house of Phenex.

Her parents didn't make it all that obvious to be sure, hiding the offer beneath smiles and promises that were simply too good to be true. She didn't even know why they were doing it!

Both Gremory and Phenex weren't even close to being wiped off! And even if that were the case, then why Riser!? She was Rias Gremory, Heir to House Gremory, shouldn't she at least deserve an engagement to a fellow heir!?

Ruval Phenex, from what she's heard, was a perfect gentleman and, more importantly, unmarried.

Sure she was pretty young compared to him, but they were devils. She could marry someone older than Feudal Japan and no one would bat an eye.

"Rias." Akeno murmured, laying a hand on the shoulder of her King. "Your tea's getting cold."

As if a puppet with its string cut, Rias sighed and slumped down on the couch, Akeno handing Rias her tea and sitting right next to her best friend.

After a few moments of silence, Rias told Akeno. "I want him."

"Ara? Has my King finally found somebody that got through the heart that she closed off against the world?" Akeno teased, trying to lift the mood.

It seemed to work, Rias' lips twitching into a reluctant smile. "Issei Hyoudou." She muttered, taking out a complete profile on the student that captured Sona's interest.

"Are you going to recruit him?" Akeno asked, peering curiously into folder.

"Maybe…..yes…..I'm still not sure." Rias admitted, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "But in the meantime, maybe a pact between us would be possible once he becomes a magician."

Rias stood up and began to take off her clothes, Akeno rising as well and taking out a towel along with a change of clothes for her king.

Laying face up on the table, written in bold at the very bottom of the paper were the words, **POTENTIAL SACRED GEAR HOLDER.**

()()()()()()()()()

In truth, Issei didn't really know what to expect when he was to be instructed in the mystical arts of magic. Okay, so maybe he did expect to learn a card trick or two. After all, how else can anyone explain a DECK OF CARDS APPEARING FROM NOWHERE? At least one of those performers had to be real magicians right?

He was wrong and Sona had given him a look which screamed 'you are an idiot'.

The first thing magician's learned, Sona taught him, was mathematics. That's why most magician's started at a young age, their malleable minds working to their advantage in order to cope with high-level calculations.

Issei however, was a different case. Since Sona had already found out that he was good with math, she went to find out just how much.

The answer she found? Terrifyingly good.

It turns out, doing several high-level mathematical formulae all at the same time, leaving one mid-solution to work on another and so on and so forth until finishing all of them at virtually the same time, was, in her words, amazing.

So, finding out Issei's foundation on the subject, Sona had gone on and explained that the calculations were the core of magic, that the better a magician was, the more efficient their circles were and the less magical power they wasted. Apprentices were usually sloppy, the magical equivalent of radiation dripping all over the place all while the end result was mediocre at best. On the other side of the spectrum, Archmages, the pinnacle of magician's power, could do stuff that would heavily test several laws of physics all while sipping at their cup of tea, their reserves barely even touched.

After three days of after-school lectures about magician's history, their contributions, famous magicians, usual contracted creatures, Issei was now finally, thankfully, working on the practical side of magic.

Once again, he had stunned Sona by the progress he showed.

Issei had made several high-powered, albeit somewhat basic, magical circles in a matter of minutes with hardly any effort and only a bit of magical energy on his end.

"That's enough for today." Sona said, a slight tremble to her voice.

"What? Why?" Issei asked, dismayed at having the ability to manipulate reality to his whims being shut down, pure childish joy shining through him.

"Because Hyoudou-kun." She muttered, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. "If we do not take a break, I'm afraid that I might get an aneurysm from all this."

"What?" He asked, the magic circles dissipating away from existence as he turned his attention on her. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing." Sona sighed, replacing her glasses. "Just…I still have to do some paperwork back in the Student Council Room. And no practicing without my supervision." She added when she saw Issei was about to continue his work.

"Come on Kaichou!" He whined. "I'm already good enough aren't I? Just a few more minutes and I'll stop. I promise." He clasped his hands together and bowed to Sona, crutch clattering to the ground.

"un….Fine." Sona relented, bending over to pick up the walking implement and pushing it against Issei's chest who grinned widely. "Be sure to go home in fifteen minutes."

()()()()()()()()()

Sona caught Issei, to her complete and utter lack of surprise, working on magic circles- on a sketchpad this time- at least an hour after she had went to go and finish her work.

"Hyoudou-kun, don't you ever listen?" She heaved a sigh at Issei's apologetically embarrassed and somewhat endearingly goofy, grin.

"Sorry Kaichou." He apologized, holding up the pad. "It's just, I was passing the time here until Matsuda and Motohama calls me to say if they got the tickets to a movie we've been wanting to see all month, so I'm not really going against your orders aren't I?"

"Still," She sighed. "if you insist on continuing, at least consult with me about things like this." She reached over and plucked Issei's work off his fingers, looking at it from underneath her glasses.

"Magic isn't….." She trailed off, eyes gradually widening and mouth dropping as he stared at what he was working on.

It was a pattern, she recognized, one of the most deceivingly simple and yet at the same time, intricately complex one she has ever seen. It was also seemingly infinite, never ending, composing of self-similar image, repeating itself over and over again in differing scales, all contained by a perfect circle written down using a pencil.

"What is this?" Sona asked, mouth suddenly turning dry.

"What's what?" Issei repeated, looking up from where he was fiddling with his phone. "Oh, that," He put away the gadget, turning to Sona and explaining sheepishly. "I'm not even sure if that circle even works. I was just doodling."

"I-I see." She said weakly, her grip on the pad limp.

"I got to go Kaichou." Issei said, packing up his bags and cane before turning to her, holding out his arms. "Movie starts in half an hour and Matsuda and Motohama got me a seat and I still need to buy our snacks."

"Hyoudou-kun, may I keep this for a while?" Sona interjected, hugging it close when Issei reached for it. "I would like to examine it."

Issei blinked. "Okay. Just be sure to give it back. Yukihira-sensei says that I should regularly draw whenever I can so my hands don't freeze up or something even though my hand's been pretty okay so far."

"Of course. Have fun." Sona waved him goodbye, still holding the sketchpad close.

"You too Kaichou." Issei began to walk away, supporting himself with his crutch. "I want some pocky." He mused to himself idly.

Sona watched him leave after that non sequitur, disappearing around the corner of the gate of Kuoh Academy. She waited for a whole five minutes before leaving herself, not to her house in the human world but to her office in the Student Council Room.

She closed the door, passing by Tsubasa, one of the very first people she had recruited into her peerage-right after Tsubaki actually- who smiled at her before leaving for her own home.

Though somewhat of a tomboy, or maybe because of it, she was an excellent fighter that stemmed from her…. rather tragic background that made Sona designate her as a Rook. That, along with her unique brand of magic, made her a valuable addition to her peerage. Still, remembering that desperate face that all but gave up hope, Sona didn't really have it in her to not invite her to her peerage, to give her another chance even not knowing her abilities then. It was an unnecessarily illogical move to take though it admittedly paid off well.

Sona returned the smile with a strained one of her one. She sighed and flopped down on her desk with semi-grace, all but throwing the sketchpad on top of the table.

"Problems Kaichou?" Tsubaki asked with a small smile, placing a can of coffee from a miniature refrigerator in front of her King which Tsubaki knew Sona preferred over tea whenever she was stressed.

"It's Hyoudou-kun." She said, muttering a quick thank you for the tea before chugging it with unladylike haste. She sighed and pressed the cool can against her forehead. "It's…see for yourself." She slid the sketchpad across the table where Tsubaki caught it smoothly.

She took one look at it and her eyebrows threatened to disappear into her hairline. "He made all this?" She asked, impressed, rifling through all the papers. Tsubaki, as a Queen, had taken it up as a challenge to master, or at the very least, be above average in all disciplines of fighting. She was by no means an expert in magic, something she hoped to remedy in the near future, though she did recognize that the work was very, very advanced stuff.

"Yes. He made that within an hour, maybe even less." Sona shook her head and finished off her can of coffee. "He's a genius." She said quietly.

"He must be. There may be around thirty in here."

"What?" Sona started, launching to her feet. "What did you say? Thirty?"

"Yes." Tsubaki blinked. "See? Half of the thing is filled." She turned the pad over to show Sona. "The latest one is the most complicated though." But Sona wasn't listening. She had grabbed the pad and was furiously turning pages, taking a look at each one of his works.

They were very good to be sure, each designed beautifully and efficiently, but none had matched the quality of his latest one, a fractal if what Sona remembered was correct, drawn by hand and with no machines that did the equations or even the sketching for him.

"I want him Tsubaki." Sona finally said. "I want him in my peerage."

"Well." The vice president of the school said after a stunned silence. "You do still have all your Pawn pieces."

"How do I get him in?" Sona frowned thoughtfully, reaching for another can of coffee. "What can I offer to convince him to join me?"

"What about the lessons?" Tsubaki suggested. "You've been teaching him for the last few days haven't you? Why don't you tell him that you'll only continue if he joins-"

"No." Sona said firmly. "I will not compromise his education, nor my dignity as his instructor just so I can monopolize him in the future. It is not worth it and furthermore, I will never forgive myself if I resorted to such underhanded tricks."

"I'm sorry Kaichou." Her Queen apologized after a short pause, knowing that she went a bit too far.

"It's fine." Sona said tiredly. "You were just looking out for our peerage, and I thank you for that."

 _'What to do?'_ Sona asked herself, dropping the sketchpad filled with advanced magical circles which some magicians would kill to be given a chance to look over that was doodled out by a bored, 15 year old boy and instead turned to a compilation of everything they know about one Hyoudou Issei.

An only child to Hyoudou Karin and Hyoudou Kuzuki, both of which had no prior experience with the supernatural whatsoever. Hyoudou Issei had a perfectly normal childhood, going to a nearby grade school/junior high school before transferring to Kuoh Academy.

The only thing that stood out was that he was somewhat of a pervert, though not to the extremes his two friends did, and that a few months ago, just before school started, he had been involved in an accident that lead to his condition.

She had even went and asked Yukihira Minato, the doctor that was in charge of Issei's wellbeing during his stay in the hospital and gathered all data she could.

Blood type, height, weight, and about Issei's prodigious skill in math. The doctor had explained that there were similar cases in the past, enough of it in fact that it's been given a name- Acquired Savant Syndrome- and that he was asking his fellow doctors overseas about them. Sona sighed once again, draining her second cup of coffee and reaching for a third, much to Tsubaki's amusement.

"Kaichou, it's late out." Tsubaki started after a few more hours of silence, the two busy in their respective responsibilities, Sona somehow managing to labor on the paperwork along with her observations on Hyoudou Issei. The sun had set by then, a quarter moon hanging on the sky.

"It is." She sighed, finishing up the last paper on her desk-permission from the Archery Club to get two days off from school to participate in an upcoming competition in Kyoto- and placing it neatly inside a folder, putting it inside one of her desk's drawers. "I suppose we should leave now."

"Unless you want to party Souna-Kaichou?" Tsubaki asked with a teasing smile, mismatched eyes crinkling in slight amusement. "I would understand. You're a teenage girl after all, and dealing with all this can be so stressful."

Sona rolled her eyes in a rare display that she would never show to anyone other than her family and Tsubaki, her best friend for years now. Tsubaki was usually a serious person, a perfect match for her King, and just like her, would usually never joke around with anyone other than Sona.

"As long as it gets me away from you." She quipped, standing up and fixing what was on her desk for one last time, moving to leave the room, Tsubaki right behind her.

They both left the room laughing, and in the bottom of the paper that was sticking out of the sheaf in Sona's hands were the words printed in bold: **Recruitment Candidate; High Priority.**

()()()()()()()()()

A week into his tutelage under Sona, Issei was already fast reaching the level where she had nothing left to teach. Everything that concerned numbers, he soaked up like a sponge, and what she taught, he not only worked on with dogged determination, but actually improved without even knowing. In the later days, she was usually the one who was learning from him.

Still, numbers couldn't get him by though, not without proper knowledge of everything else, so Sona drilled science into Issei, chemistry and physics specially.

To her chagrin, Issei took even that like a duck to freaking water, seeking out and devouring whole textbooks, and she was sure that he could sit down at any moment and write down enough numbers to make ever her head spin.

She sat down in her desk at the student council after classes, Issei sitting down in front of the whiteboard to complete her assignment for him, a magical circle that could safely protect the user from any attack that would attempt to harm them. To make it a bit more of a challenge, Sona did not show Issei any examples, instead asking him to do it by himself.

From the looks of it, he was already halfway through the equation, barely stopping in his work and making Sona as well as Tsubaki who was also with them, a little inadequate.

"Hello Kaichou, Fuku-kaichou, Hyoudou-kun." Tsubasa greeted, carrying a small stack of boxes into the room and setting them down of the corner. "I've brought the books Kaichou, and the delivery guys wanted you to sign this." She handed over a clipboard to Sona who took it and began to read the print. "Oh what's that?" She approached Issei, leaning over his shoulder to inspect what he was doing up close.

"Kaichou's assignment for me." Issei answered, eyes roaming around his work. "She wants me to make a shield using magic." As if to demonstrate, Issei held up a hand and a red magical circle appeared, bits and pieces still missing, but looking good enough so far.

Issei began to mentally take it apart, noting each segment and creating a mental blueprint for each of them, already creating potential modifications to the equation.

"So cool." Tsubasa muttered, leaning in closer and hesitantly reaching out to touch it.

"Here you go Tsubasa." Sona suddenly cut in, shoving the clipboard between them and into Tsubasa's hands. "You shouldn't keep the people outside waiting."

"S-Sorry Kaichou." She blushed in embarrassment, taking it and quickly crossing the room to leave.

"See you around Hyoudou-kun."

"See you." Issei muttered distractedly, spinning the circle around before sighing and dropping his hand, making it dissipate back into fragments of crimson light.

"Having problems?" Tsubaki asked, standing behind him and putting a hand to her cheek, looking at the whiteboard.

"Yeah." Issei said, blowing out some air. "I've got most of it down already, but I'm having trouble with the deflection and absorption property so that it weakens the force enough that it'll dissipate easily."

"Deflection?" Sona asked, looking up from the forms on her desk. "I didn't ask you to do that."

"No, it's just," Issei waved to the board. "A deflector shield is much more energy efficient than one that takes force head on. It's also safer too, but only if whatever's rushing at you is weakened enough that it'll be easy to deal with. It won't make sense if you redirect it and it destroys a town behind you or something. So it needs to be strong enough to take on the brunt of the force but not too much that it wastes too much energy to redirect the force."

Sona stood still for one shocked moment before standing up and moving to look over his work more closely.

"This is more complicated than I expected Hyoudou-kun." Sona said, pressing a hand against her forehead.

Issei shrugged. "Overachieving is better than under, especially when magic is concerned."

The two other occupants of the room stared at him. "I underestimated you." Sona finally said. "You really are a natural magician aren't you?"

"Thank you?" He answered, confused. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Hyoudou-kun." The bespectacled Student Council President began. "At this point, I have nothing left to teach you."

"What? It's only been eight days Kaichou!" The cripple protested, leaving his work to argue with her.

"Exactly." She pointed out. "In eight days you've surpassed everything I had learned in all my life as a devil. In eight days you've began to create magic circles that I do not even have any idea on how to even begin with. If I wasn't proud of you as both your inept instructor and as your friend, then I would be very jealous of you." Sona paused then admitted with a dusting of red on her cheeks. "I still am jealous of you actually."

"But….what am I going to do now?" Issei asked, honestly lost at the sudden escalation of events.

"Anything." Sona replied with a small smile. "You could go on as a normal student if you wish, or you keep on learning magic. If you'd like, I can even get in contact with a more suitable instructor if you wish to go on with your studies. Or," And here Sona pursed her lips as if her next words had a bad taste to them. "you could even drop out of school altogether and make a living from what you've learned so far. It's all up to you really, Hyoudou-kun, with what you want to do in life. It's your life after all."

Issei paused, chewing the inside of his lips for a moment. At the side of the table, Tsubaki smiled, privately enjoying Sona in what she called 'Teacher Mode'. _'It's always nice to see her this way.'_ Tsubaki mused. _'Not to mention that Hyoudou-kun and Sona look so cute together.'_ She smiled and subtly backed away to let the two have their moment. She reached behind her and opened the door, leaving the room and letting the door shut with a soft click.

She always did want to try her hand at matchmaking.

()()()()()()()()()

For all Sona's speech about freedom, that really didn't change the fact that, well, Issei was 15 years old. Even if he did want to drop school, which he didn't, then the curfew police would quickly find him wandering around the town during schooling hours.

Sure, he could manipulate their minds- he finally knew enough about magic to be able to do it rather quickly and efficiently- but, well, he didn't want to. He just didn't feel comfortable with the idea of playing with another's mind. Just the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable, that he was the bad guy.

So, with all that, Issei went on with the routine. Spending time with Matsuda and Motohama in the classroom, actually muting their sexual deviancy to acceptable social levels, and then making sure to drop by the Student Council where he had begun to have a close relationship with all of them, Sona, Tsubaki, Tsubasa as well as the newcomer, Reya. The latter was soft-spoken and polite enough to keep a conversation with Issei about inane things whenever they were around each other. Tsubasa though, while also courteous, also had a hidden side to her. Issei once walked in on her watching a mud wrestling video between two men with a disturbingly overeager

expression. Issei made sure to stay away from that particular topic whenever he was with her.

Sona had also began to ask for his opinions on certain things pertaining to the school to the point where he was all but part of the Student Council along with all the responsibilities that came with it.

"Life's good isn't it?" Matsuda groaned in pleasure, barely suppressing a yawn as he along with Motohama laid down on the downward slope of Kuoh Academy, where a perfect view of the second years in gym class greeted them. "Beautiful sights, perfect weather and a nice, comfy spot to laze around."

"Sure is." Motohama sighed, rolling over to his side, the women below forgotten in favor of the comfort the slope gives. "Oi Issei. Can you ask Sona-Kaichou if we can have this spot to ourselves? Like a club or something?"

Issei looked up from where he was doing his English assignments to give him an amused look. "What should I say? 'Kaichou, can my friends and I have some part of the school all to ourselves as a place to hang out?' I don't think she'd allow it."

"Oh come on!" Motohama cried out, half-pushing himself up. "You and Kaichou are an item right? I think she'd say yes if you ask her."

Issei scowled in an effort to hide his blush. He reached over and swatted Motohama over the back of his head, eliciting a yelp of surprise. "No we aren't. We're just friends. And I seriously doubt that, even if we were a couple, she'd just hand that sort of thing over to me."

"But you do like her right?" Matsuda piped up, looking curiously at Issei. Beside him, Motohama sat up fully now, gaining a calculating gleam in his eye. "I mean, you've been with her every single day for like a month now."

"If being with someone everyday means I like them, then by that logic, I should be head over heels for you guys." Issei replied blandly.

"I didn't know you thought about us that way Issei-kun." Motohama gasped, laying a hand on his chest. "I always thought…."

"We appreciate the thought." Matsuda added. "But we're attracted to women you see. But don't worry, we'll always be friends."

Issei stared at the two of them with half-lidded ayes. "You done yet?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Matsuda said, dropping the act. "But seriously, if you ever get the chance, go for her. She's doing you good man."

"I know I know. She's the type to bring out the best in others." Issei rolled his eyes. As if he needed their reminders. He's only been with Sona for a month now, but he was pretty confident that he had enough of a grasp on her general personality; strict, professional, and unrelenting on the job.

In other words: almost his polar opposite.

"You never did answer the question." Motohama pointed out, smirking.

Issei, with great dignity, pulled his knees to his chest, opened his book, and hid his face behind it, much to the amusement of his two friends.

()()()()()()()()()

Sona always made sure to keep a mature and professional persona everywhere she went and while others would tell her to lighten up, that she was acting too old for her age, that she should let her hair down once in a while, she would always ignore them and go on her work.

It was simply the way she is: strict, competent to a fault, and didn't do well with nonsensical stuff.

"So-taaaaannnnnn~!"

She considered it a shame that her older sister wasn't like her at all. Especially considering the fact that she not only lead the entire Devil Underworld with three others, she was also in charge of Foreign Relations.

It didn't sound so bad, up until Serafall inevitably shows her more…childish side where she was prone to using emotions to decide, not logic, to decide. She wasn't saying that her older sister was an airhead, but, well, Serafall had once cried to Sona about wanting to invade Heaven because, apparently, Archangel Gabriel 'wore the same things [she] did!'

Sona was immensely thankful that the 3 other Satans knew how to deal with Serafall or Devilkind would already be at war with at least half a dozen other pantheons on top of the rather shaky ceasefire between them, the Fallen, and the Angels.

"O-Onee-sama." The Student Council President gave a shaky smile, eyebrow slightly twitching while Tsubaki smiled against her cup of tea. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"So-tan," Disturbingly, the pinstripe suit-clad Leviathan's eyes began to tear up. "Don't you want to see your Older Sister? You should be crying "Onee-sama!" while we hug each other!" As if to demonstrate, Serafall began to wiggle around in place, making a very…unique sight.

"Please stop." Sona pleaded, wishing to be anywhere but in her own office.

The Leviathan calmed down and then said in a business-like manner so different from just a second ago. It was at times like this that made Sona honestly wonder if her older sister was bipolar. "Sona-chan, there have been increased sightings of both Stray Devils and Fallen Angels in the area. There are even rumors that they're veterans of the Great War. I'll talk to Azazel-chan about his lot, but please be careful."

Her blue eyes lost some of their shine and turned ridiculously serious. Sona gulped, all of her earlier embarrassment turning into a touch of nervousness. By the president's side, Tsubaki narrowed her eyes, turning towards Serafall.

"Sona, I know that you always wanted to be independent, and I get that, but if you call for me, your Onee-sama will drop everything and be there for you. Even if it's just paperwork or something like an invasion, I'll always be there. You know that right?"

And that is why, even after all of the crazy stunts Serafall had pulled, Sona could never be able to find it in her to even dislike her Older Sister. She gets tired, embarrassed, stressed out and all those at the things she do, but she'll never hate her sister.

"Yes Onee-sama. Thank you." She added in a whisper.

Serafall's eyes regained their usual, playful shine. "Now, let's have our emotional reunion So-tan~!" She attempted to lunge but stopped when something caught her attention. "Neh, So-tan, what's this?" Serafall picked up a sketchpad filled with random doodles and her eyes widened. "This is amazing! Did you make this? I'm so proud of you!"

Now, Sona had two choices in front of her.

She could lie and tell her that it was her work and Serafall would most likely tear up, cry something about her 'So-tan' being amazing, and other more unpredictable stuff all while keeping Issei away from the craziness of devils. That would open up a whole new can of worms though. Sirzechs might take notice. Actually, with his closeness to her family, it was all but certain he would take notice and with him, Ajuka Beelzebub too. The latter would most likely want to take a look and she would be discovered as a fraud and that would be a huge blow to her pride.

She did not want to be known as a liar.

On the other hand, if she did tell the truth, then Issei- and it would only be a matter of time before they discovered that it was Issei who drew the circles- would be swept into the devil business and she didn't want that in her conscience, especially without Issei's permission or even knowledge of it.

"No I didn't." The words were out before she could control herself. Ultimately, Sona was proud devil, and even if Issei would hate her for it, she needed to tell the truth.

"I see." Serafall muttered, turning over the pages, looking over at each design before arriving to the last and her eyes widened for one moment before becoming eerily inscrutable. "Sona-chan, can I take this home? I want to study this for a while."

"That isn't mine." She argued, feeling a tiny flash of guilt towards Issei for taking his sketchpad.

"Oh come on! Pleeeasssee? I'll be sure to return it!" For all her pleading, Serafall's eyes made Sona feel like refusing was not an option.

"O-of course."

"Thank you!" And just like that, Serafall brightened up again, all trace of her earlier scariness disappearing. "Goodbye So-tan! You too Tsubaki-chan!" She waved her goodbye, Tsubaki returning it with a shaky smile of her own. A magic circle shimmered to existence behind her and Serafall was gone.

By then, Sona was about 75% sure that she was bipolar.

"What the hell was that?" Tsubaki asked, staring at where the Maou had left.

"I think…..it's just a matter of time before Hyoudou-kun gets involved in devil business." Sona grimaced, taking of her glasses and laying a hand on her forehead.

"I'll make us some tea." Tsubaki muttered, rising to make drinks for both of them.

"Thank you Tsubaki." Sona muttered. She really needed it right now.

()()()()()()()()()

Magic circles are amazing in that they are what allows anyone with even a hint of magical energy and the know-how to use them in order to bend the rules of the universe to their will. It is, in it's basest form, the a force which could produce change in reality itself.

Most mages used hyper-complicated math in order to create the design of the circles, taking into a account thousands of probabilities in order to produce the best results. Most fall flat and instead turn to already-established circles, using them instead of original compositions to recreate phenomena that stretched the laws of physics.

The creation of magic circles is one of the more complicated things a good mage needs to know in order to truly cement their place as a practitioner.

All that doesn't change the fact that, to an outsider, it simply looked like doodles in a sheet of paper.

"That looks so cool Issei. Hey, could you draw that on my wall back in my room? It'll look good next to my poster of 'Demons vs Angels'" Motohama peered over Issei's shoulder, looking at the freehand circle he was close to completing.

"Is that a new sketchpad?" Matsuda added, taking a peek at the cover. "You already filled the old one?"

"No I didn't. Kaichou just borrowed the one you gave me and hasn't returned it yet so I bought a new one." Issei explained, looking over the last detail he added before shaking his head and erasing it.

Matsuda and Motohama exchanged smirks.

"So you and the Kaichou are already lending each other stuff? Could this be love?" Motohama sang.

Issei blew air out of his nose and turned to level a stare at him. "No it is not. Kaichou and I are not an item. She just borrowed it to look over my drawings."

Okay, that was technically true, but he couldn't very well tell them that Sona borrowed it to look over the magical usability of the circles and not the designs themselves.

"And no. Drawing in a pad of paper is okay, but I'm not yet good enough to do it in a wall. Besides, you'd have to pay me if I did it."

"Guys, I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry." Matsuda interrupted them, rising from their table in the grounds of Kuoh Academy. "You want anything?"

"Yeah." Motohama said, standing up as well. "I want a sandwich. What about you Issei?"

"Buy me some coffee."

"That's 120 yen." The glasses wearing pervert held out a hand, palm open.

"You still owe me a thousand from last week." Issei pointed out.

"Ah dammit." He cursed. "Forgot about that. Let's go."

Issei sighed, laying down his pen and looking up at the cloud-covered sky. "This is such a lazy day." He muttered. "You'd think being in a school with devils would be more exciting."

"Would you like it to be?" An amused voice asked from behind him. Issei started and turned around to see none other than Rias Gremory, arms folded across her chest, a smile playing at her lip. Already, people were staring, the two making a rather strange pair, one of the more infamous students of the school and the undisputed idol of the student body. "Issei-kun, may I sit here?"

"Um, sure." Issei said. The murmurs increased when, instead of sitting across him as Issei expected, she sat right next to him, close enough for him to smell the scent of her hair.

"So how is the magic training going?" She inquired, tilting her head at him. "I haven't seen Sona this happy since she heard that she was finally going to be away from her Older Sister for a few years."

Issei blinked at the last one and said. "Well, it's going pretty great though Kaichou did say that she's going to stop teaching me now."

"She did?" Rias asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you want me to, I could go to her and ask her to reconsider. I didn't think she was the type to just give up like that." She visibly recomposed herself and said. "If you're having trouble, I could be the one to teach you all about magic."

Issei, with great difficulty, tried not thinking about her soft hand sitting on top of his own.

"I-I'm not having trouble with magic." Issei cleared his throat to clear up his stutter. He tried to ignore the mutterings that sprang up, most -if not all- of them aimed at him and Rias. "Kaichou actually told me that she had nothing else to teach me."

Rias Gremory, the epitome of poise and unflappable grace, actually did a double take, blinking her eyes several times. "W-what? That Sona did?" She asked, more to herself than to Issei, trying to wrap her mind around the thought of the genius she knew as Sona having trouble teaching someone that had no previous knowledge of the Supernatural whatsoever, about magic.

"Yeah." Issei answered, indicating at the sketchpad. "I know all about magic circles now, so all I need is experience in actually using the circles and I'm all set."

"May I?" Rias asked, taking her hand away from where it lay on top of Issei's to lightly brush against the cover of the sketchpad.

"Sure!" Issei quickly agreed, drawing his hand back to his side. Whether or not Rias intended to, she scooted over to him close enough that her hips touched against his own.

Issei sucked in a breath, closing his eyes and counting to three. He subtly looked over at Rias just enough to catch the tail-end of an amused glitter of her eyes staring at him before she looked at his works. Issei felt an almost smug satisfaction as he beheld Rias once again losing her cool, her eyes widening and mouth dropping open as she finally looked at the circles he had been designing.

"This is-!" Rias reflexively said, louder than she meant to, capturing the attention of those who had finally looked away from the two. Issei took great personal enjoyment as he observed Rias visibly recomposing herself. "This is amazing." Rias admitted, looking over at all his designs over the past three days. "I don't think I could do these. I know I can't do these." She amended, flipping over a page before laying it back down on the table delicately. "I can see why Sona would say that about you Issei-kun. You have a talent it seems."

"A warrior would trump a mage every day of the week!"

Issei and Rias simultaneously turned to see Matsuda and Motohama carrying plastic bags, heatedly arguing with each other.

"No they wouldn't! A mage only needs to stay back and throw magic until the warrior dies! He wouldn't even come close!" Motohama said, turning to their mutual friend. "Issei, back me, o-oh.

G-Gremory-senpai." He turned towards Matsuda who seemed confused as well. "We'll come back."

"Oh no need." Rias refuted smoothly, standing up and patting down non-existent dust from her skirt.

"It's been fun talking with you Issei-kun. I do hope we'll do this again sometime soon."

"You too Gremory-senpai." Issei returned politely, inclining his head at her.

The three of them watched her leave, two of them distracted by the sight of her walking away while the other one lay deep in thought.

"Issei, I don't what happened to you, but I'm very jealous right now." Matsuda said, still staring at Rias' form. "Is it the crutch? If I get hit by a truck, will I finally be popular with the ladies too?"

"Issei's finally spreading his wings." Motohama cried, wiping at his tears with his sleeve. "He's leaving us behind! Matsuda, what should we do!?"

"Shut up you two." Issei muttered. _'Besides, it isn't the crutch. It's the numbers that got me like this. Not like I can tell you about that though.'_

He looked up and stared at where Rias stood before.

 _'I think this is one of the only times where I've seen Gremory-senpai without Himejima-senpai with her.'_ A small, hormonal part of his brain felt disappointed. _'I wanted to see her too.'_

 _Issei shut up that part with coffee._

()()()()()()()()()

The Leviathan opened the door that led to the room of one of the two Superdevils of the Underworld.

"Ajuka, could you please take a look at this?" Serafall asked, taking long strides towards the lone occupant, tone completely business-like, no trace of her usual lightheartedness in sight.

Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Maous of the Underworld, stopped reading from his book, closed the book shut and slowly laid it down on his desk top. "No hello? No Ajuka-chan? This must be especially serious if you of all people is acting like this." While his words were genial enough, his smile welcoming, his eyes had become like ice, frigid and pensive. He recognized Serafall when she was in leader mode and if she deemed this matter important enough to warrant that treatment, then he respected her enough to follow her example.

"Yes. Ajuka, I need your opinion on something."

"Of course Serafall. If you would close the door behind you?"

The door shut with a soft click, hiding the meeting between two of the leader of Underworld from outside ears.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **After a few months, I finally managed to find time to write! Hell yeah!**

 **College, assignments, projects, yada yada, you all know the drill. Some of you may even be living the same hell I am in right now, the soulsucking experience known as college.**

 **Now, onto more important matters. I may or may not update this fic more than Pasts. Reason? I have more ideas on what to do here, and I really, really want to be able to write it down as soon as possible. I have it plotted out up until the next two arcs at least, though with the rate I'm churning out chapters, it might as well be the next decade for all it helps me.**

 **This fic is going to be a lot more free with DxD-verse in such that I will NOT follow the stations of canon. In fact, I will actually try my hand at world-building here, albeit only in minor things. So, no to the cliched Raiser Rating Game, Raynare killing Issei in their first date and all that. I will try to make new challenges for Issei, which should actually be pretty obvious since he's still a first year here.**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary** : It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Issei sat in a cafe in Akihabara, waiting for his two friends to come back from where they ran off to buy some newly released light novel. Issei would've went with them, but he wanted to buy a new video game too, so they agreed to just meet at the nearby cafe, Issei handing the two of them some money to buy him a copy of his own. So here he was, 10 minutes later, the two idiots still nowhere in sight.

A rather large group people entered the store and Issei began to fidget, trying to shut out his mind from the sudden influx of new information that threatened to bombard him, and when they passed by close to him, Issei had to close his eyes with wince, lest the numbers actually overwhelm his vision.

"Here's your coffee sir."

Issei looked up, eyes and brain immediately devouring the data provided. _'176cm tall, 88-67-85, body fat percentage 25%'._ Unbidden, even more info flooded in before Issei could stop himself. _'Blood pressure's a bit low as well as her blood sugar. Clothes made from polyester. Increased Hormone production, estrogen especially.'_ Issei's eyes began to become more clinical the more he took in. _'A trace of iron in the air. Menstruation?_ ' He filed that away, diving in even more. ' _No, iron's from the wound in her arm, there's an increase in the white blood cell count in the area over there. Sex? Would explain hormone levels increasing.'_

"Sir?" She said politely, and Issei blinked, coming back to reality. "Your coffee." Issei noticed that she seemed a bit nervous, her smile visibly straining.

"A-Ah, thank you." He said to the girl, accepting the coffee. Issei grimaced, looking down into the porcelain cup. _'70% coffee, 20% water, 12% cream, 8% sugar._ ' Issei shook his head, closing his eyes and sipping at it, frowning in slight disappointment as the drink was lukewarm at best. He let his head rest on his hands, forcing himself relax.

 _'Where are they?'_ Issei sighed to himself, nursing his cup. After his month-long affair with caffeine, he found himself growing fond of it and had made it a habit to drink at least one cup a day. Sometimes, he needed more depending on how stressed out he was and now was definitely one of those times. ' _That bastard Matsuda has my console. I should have asked for it before we separated.'_ He took another sip of his coffee. He leaned down and grabbed the pristine casing of his brand new prize. He took a moment to admire it before an arm came around and smacked a paperback novel into his chest.

Issei blinked before looking up to see Matsuda smirking at him. "Got it!" The shaved highschooler said proudly. "Nearly ran out, but Motohama and I managed to get one of the last copies on the shelf!"

Issei rose an eyebrow and looked at the novel critically. "What happened? Is this series really that famous?"

"It's by Ishibumi-sensei." Motohama scoffed, taking a seat across Issei. "Of course it's good. But that's not what took us so long." He paused, looking at Issei eagerly, waiting for the latter to ask.

Issei, deciding to humor him, asked. "Then what took you so long?"

"THIS!" Matsuda took his own copy and, along with Motohama, opened it proudly on the front page.

"Ishibumi-sensei was in the bookstore!?" Issei's jaw dropped. "Why didn't I know about that?!"

"I think it was a surprise thing." Motohama explained, closing the book delicately and placing it back in a paper bag. "Or maybe he was just in the area and decided to go to a bookstore since it's the debut of another novel of his."

"Don't be like that Issei." Matsuda added when Issei looked not a little bit envious. "We got you a signature too!" He reached over and opened the novel to display a signature identical to Matsuda's and Motohama's.

"You two are the best friends I could ask for." Issei declared solemnly and the two smirked in answer. "Enough about this sappy crap though. I'm starving. What do you two want?"

"The coffee here any good?"

"Do they serve crepes?"

"That's such a girlish choice."

"That's sexist! Men should ENJOY what they want without fear of social stigma!"

"Would you two shut up and just buy what you want?"

""Butt off Matsuda!""

()()()()()()()()()

Issei yawned, laying his head down on top of his table, completely tuning out his math teacher. It wasn't like he needed to listen like Matsuda did who was pretty terrible at math. At this point, first year mathematics wasn't even a problem for him now. Hell, he does college-level calculus on a regular basis, both because numbers became somewhat of a hobby and because that was pretty much the backbone of magic which he still practices privately every time he was alone and/or in the presence of those in the know. His version of magic anyway.

"Hyoudou-kun, would you please answer this equation?" The teacher called out, not out of annoyance as other teachers do when catching a student lazing around in the middle of a lecture but out of the knowledge that Issei was good enough in the subject to finish the equation. It didn't help that every other student in the classroom seemed to be in a slump avoiding the teacher's gaze lest they get singled out and make a fool of themselves in front of the whole class.

Issei stifled another yawn, grabbing his crutch from the side of his chair and walking up to the board. He took the offered marker and, in less than half a minute, solved the problem neatly and passed the marker back to the beaming math teacher. "Very good Hyoudou-kun." He said almost proudly. Issei returned his praise with a somewhat bashful grin of his own.

Sonada-sensei, the first year's math teacher, was quickly becoming Issei's favorite if only for the simple fact that he didn't walk on eggshells around Issei's disability like most other teachers did to the extent that it felt kind of stifling for him. Not that he minded being excluded from the chores that the school encourages students to do, but it still put him off that even something like PE was out of reach for him, irrational as it was. Hell, if what Matsuda and Motohama were spouting out was true, then he was actually in quite an enviable position, not having to do anything yet still able to gaze at the beautiful sight of the women of Kuoh Academy doing sports in their bloomers and shirt combo.

Still, despite all those, what Issei wouldn't do to be able to walk on his own two legs again…

Ring! Ring!

Issei started, looking up to see Sonada-sensei already packing up, his previous work erased to display other problems though still using the same formulae. "Study for this everyone, I'll give a quiz on it sometime this week."

The majority of the class groaned at that with a few exceptions, Issei and Motohama included. The latter leaned back in his chair, giving Issei a look. "Tired?"

"Was it that obvious?" The cripple asked, once again trying, and failing, to bite back a yawn.

Motohama rose an eyebrow. "You were pretty much passed out back there. I'm pretty sure I saw your eyes dim out for a bit. What did you do anyway?"

"Remember the game I bought two days ago?" Issei asked,

"What about it?"

"Finished it last night."

"Respect." Motohama nodded to him. "100%?"

"All routes completed, all bad ends reached."

"What's this about?" Matsuda asked, finished taking down his notes and would most probably be forgotten up till the last few moments before the test where he'll desperately cram for it.

"Issei finished his game last night."

The baldy blinked. "That's actually pretty impressive." He admitted. "Though it feels like a waste of money."

"Why?" The two asked curiously.

"It's just-" Matsuda shrugged. "What's the point of playing a game when you're just rushing through things? VNs are meant to be soaked in, to be enjoyed, not devoured like some piece of meat. What?" He added uncomfortably when the other two stared at him.

"That sounded almost deep." Motohama said, looking fascinated, as an artist would when beholden to a muse.

"Are you really Matsuda?" Issei asked doubtfully, grabbing his crutch and poking lightly at the shaved highschooler's thigh.

"An impostor maybe?"

"Oi you two, what's that supposed to mean?!"

()()()()()()()()()

Sona sat in her desk, filling out the paperwork with Tsubaki handing out the last batch that needed her touch while clearing out the ones she was already finished with. "Tsubasa, could you please hand these over to the principal's office?" The vice president requested, handing over a binder full of papers to the blue-haired Rook. "Tell them that it's about the Student Council's suggestion for the budget allocation for the clubs next semester."

"Of course." Tsubasa said, laying down the newspaper she was reading and taking the offered binder from Tsubaki. "Since I'm passing by the vending machine, do you want me to buy you some drinks?"

"Milk tea for me please." Reya said quietly, tidying up the shelf behind Sona.

"Same." Tsubaki requested.

"Me as well." Sona held up her index finger, finishing up the last of her paperwork and laying back in her chair, bending over to rummage around her bag before taking out a lunch box.

"There's still nearly thirty minutes to go till lunchtime ends." Tsubaki said, idly picking up the newspaper Tsubasa was reading, opened towards the tabloid parts. "'Nearby temple deemed haunted.'" She read out loud. "'Passerby claims to have seen brooms floating by themselves'" She scoffed in derision, throwing it on top of the table. "To think they actually print stuff like this."

"But wouldn't it be possible?" Reya asked, picking it up and giving the paper a cursory glance. "I mean, we're devils after all so maybe that isn't all that farfetched."

"Reya," Sona said, swallowing her food. "the temple is the current residence of Himejima Akeno." The Bishop nodded in understanding, having met and been introduced to the upperclassman at her first excursion-turned-extermination as a devil.

"I see." She said, disappointedly mumbling. "I wanted to see a ghost."

"Don't worry." Sona said, sounding annoyed. "Rias has plans to bring in actual ghosts for her club this coming school festival. I'm still convincing her to-"

"So-taaaaaaaann~!"

The sound immediately made the Student Council President forget what she was just about to say, freezing in place. 'Why's she back so soon?!" While she didn't exactly hate her sister, she didn't exactly look forward to her erratic visits to the school. Still, despite not looking it, Serafall could be surprisingly responsible, especially when it concerned the Underworld, so there must be a reason for this.

It immediately became clear to her when the magic circle transported not only her older sister, but also the former heir of the Astaroth family, as well as her fellow Maou.

"B-Beelzebub-sama!" She gasped, springing to her feet and bowing low as a sign of respect, Tsubaki following right away as well as Reya who 'eeped' before following her King's lead. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"As much as I'd like to say I simply wanted to visit you, I'm afraid to say that it's business that brought me here." Ajuka smiled down at her, giving her an appraising once over. "The human world's done you well it seems."

"Thank you." Sona said, standing up with her present Peerage following suite, Reya still looking out of her depth. "But what exactly is this business of yours if I may ask?"

"This." Serafall piped up, opening up a pad and showing it to Sona. The Student Council President fixed her glasses and looked it over to recognize Issei's last work for the sketchpad, the fractal equation. "Ajuka-chan wanted to know who made this."

"What?" Sona blinked, looking at the two Maou in front of her. "Why?"

"I just wanted to meet the person who made something similar to what I did." Ajuka said, taking the pad of paper. "This fractal is quite like the things I was working on right before the Civil War hit." He smiled. "It's only natural that I'm curious about the person who seems to be walking the same path as I did right?"

Sona almost paled at the implications of that single phrase. She was thankful she was holding nothing because she suddenly felt very weak.

"Come on So-tan, where's the mystery magician?" Serafall interjected, looking eager for something other than her little sister and magical girls. Somehow, someway, it made Sona feel more dread than if that look were to be directed at her.

"Um, I don't think it's right for me to disclose his identity without prior consent." She said, inwardly proud of herself that she managed to come up with such an excuse. Unfortunately, Serafall seemed determined to find the 'mystery magician' as she called one Hyoudou Issei.

"Mou, So-tan, not fair! Then I'll just look for him myself!" She declared, switching from disappointed to fired up in a second. "Come on Ajuka-chan, let's find them!"

"And how will you know when you find him?" The Super Devil smiled bemusedly down at Serafall as she took his arm and began to drag him towards the door.

"I just will!" She said. "I know when someone's been with my So-tan, so I'll know who it is when I see them! So let's go!"

"Onee-sama, please don't disturb the peace of the school." Sona pleaded. "The students here are very hard workers and they can't afford to be distracted."

"It's lunchtime anyway So-tan!" Her older sister chirped back, undaunted. "Ajuka-chan and I will just talk to him and then we'll go away!"

Serafall sprang out of the ornate doorway of the Student Council followed by an ineffectively protesting Sona and a quietly bemused Ajuka to track down a wayward magician.

"What just happened?" Reya asked Tsubaki hesitantly.

The Vice President sighed, fixing her glasses. "Welcome to the Sitri Peerage. You're going to have to get used to things like that."

Reya nodded, feeling a little out of depth.

The door opened and Tsubasa entered, looking backwards to the opening. "Who's the girl Kaichou was chasing? And who's the other guy?"

"Ah right, you two haven't met her yet. That's Serafall Leviathan-sama, one of the Four Maous of the Underworld and our King's older sister."

"Eh?"

"The other person was Ajuka Beelzebub-sama, another of the Underworld's leaders."

"….Eh?"

()()()()()()()()()

"I got it!" Matsuda cried triumphantly, waving a piece of paper that carried some equations in it towards Issei's and Matusda's face. "I spent half my lunch break on this, but I think I finally got it!"

"What'd you get?" Issei asked, laying down two card face down between him and Motohama. "Two aces." He said, pokerface on.

"Two kings." Matsuda answered, face as blank as his opponent's.

"I found that, with my current class standing in math, I need to have at least one other subject with at least a grade of 80 to avoid summer school!"

"That doesn't work that way." Issei said, dropping a single card. "Ace. If you fail a subject, then you're automatically going to pay for that failure in the summer."

Matsuda and Motohama stared at Issei who shrugged. "You spend some time in the Student Council and you're bound to pick up something."

"Dammit." Matsuda cursed, balling up the piece of paper. "How am I going to pass math now?"

"You could study." Motohama said dryly. "Three kings."

"Bullshit." Issei declared, looking at the king of diamonds in his hand. Motohama smirked and turned over the cards. "Tch." Issei scowled, picking up the pile of cards and adding it to his hand.

"I don't get anything in the lessons." Matsuda deadpanned, taking out his notebook and opening it to show a ton of doodles along the margins and, in some cases, taking up most of the page. "Why do we have math anyway?"

"Math's everywhere." Issei said, privately amused at the statement. "You know how to play with numbers, you're pretty much set in the world."

"How?" Matsuda asked and even Motohama looked curious. "Why'd you say that?"

Issei scratched his cheek. "There's a whole industry related to that. Statisticians take a look at what people want and they go with what the majority prefers to keep up sales. Architects, engineers, most professions right now use mathematics whether you know it or not. Besides," and here Issei gave a grin. "there are people who play the system and manage to win millions from casinos."

"That doesn't exactly help me with my problem right now." Matsuda said dryly, holding up the notebook and waving it at their faces.

"You could just ask us for help you know." Issei returned, voice emulating his friend's. "I mean, Motohama and I are pretty good at math, so no biggie."

"Sorry." Motohama apologized. "I don't have time after school this week and the next. My grandmother's staying over and my mom wants the family to have some 'quality time' so I can't help you there. Ask Issei though, he's better in math than everyone else in the school."

Matsuda turned a pleading look at him and Issei rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll help you out, don't worry. You owe me food though."

The shaved highschooler sighed, relief almost palpable. "Thanks. I'll bake you some cookies."

Issei inhaled sharply. "Chocolate chip?"

"Yeah. Mom just bought some new baking utensils last Saturday and I've been looking for a reason to use them."

"Wait wait." Motohama interrupted. "You're baking him cookies?" When he received a nod, he began to backtrack. "I'm pretty sure my family can have some quality time without me."

Issei rose an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me you're really saying that some cookies is of equal worth to spending time with your family."

"Well if you put it that way, you make me sound like the bad guy." Motohama grumbled.

Issei snorted before turning to Matsuda. "Which lessons have you been having trouble with anyway?"

"All of them."

"Okay, going to need a bit more detail than that." Issei said.

"Circles." Matsuda sighed.

"There we go." Issei cheered. "Sure, tomorrow at your place?"

"Yeah." Matsuda gave a grateful smile. "Thanks Issei. You're a lifesaver."

"Say that after you passed the quiz."

"I know but still, you don't know how- Is that Kaichou?" Matsuda blinked, interrupting himself as he saw an interesting sight behind Issei and Motohama. The two each raised an eyebrow, looking first at each other before behind them. "I wonder who's that girl behind her. She's cute."

They saw that it was indeed the esteemed Student Council President, though the image was kind of ruined by the fact that she was chasing after a girl with similar looks to her and was dressed in a rather sharp looking suit. A distance away from the two was a green haired man, dressed in an equally refined suit, carrying around a bemused air around him.

Just looking at the two of them, Issei felt very, very wary for his own safety. The numbers that were floating around them was a testament to that. The girl that was with Sona had enormous amounts of power, numbers swirling like crazy around her. Her actions, whether an act or the real thing, didn't change the fact that she probably could end his life, along with thousands of others, with a single glance.

The man wasn't any better. While they didn't circle around him, the mere sight of the numbers packed so closely together to the man seemed almost like an impossibility. In fact, if Issei didn't know any better, he would assume that the man could control matter itself and had clothed himself in them though as a defense mechanism, or as a way of attacking, Issei would only assume.

"Do you know them Issei?" Motohama asked.

"What? Why?" He asked, looking away from the man and to his friend.

"Because she looks like she knows you." Matsuda pointed and Issei just barely turned before his vision was suddenly covered by very blue eyes.

"Hrk!" Issei choked, and, dimly, he heard his two friends do the same. He even heard one of them swear, though who, he didn't see as two hands suddenly grabbed at his collar.

"Found you!" The girl exclaimed proudly.

"Onee-sama!" Sona grit her teeth, looking around to see that most of the students present in the area were looking at the odd group curiously. "Hyoudou-kun, I'm very sorry for what my sister is doing. Onee-sama, let go of him!"

"I'm right aren't I?" The girl asked smugly, pointing one finger at Sona. "This is the one we're looking for right?"

Issei found that, even one-handed, the girl was still strong enough to all but choke him half to death and he couldn't even place the blame on magic! She was choking him and she wasn't even using magic! Issei was completely justified in feeling wary of her.

Sona looked around once again to see that more students were observing them and Issei's friends were looking concerned for the situation their friend was in, and very, very confused from the situation their friend was in.

"At the very least, let's please take this somewhere more private." Sona begged, and the girl agreed easily enough.

"Sure!"

()()()()()()()()()

"So uh, what am I doing here exactly?" Issei scratched at his cheek, doing his best to avoid looking at the unsettling numbers of the two strangers he still didn't know the name of. He did manage to glean from context that the girl was the Student Council President's older sister.

Sona had taken Issei and the other two to the office of the Student Council and, though it had been good to see more familiar faces in Tsubaki, Tsubasa and Reya, Issei was still thoroughly confused about the situation at hand.

"Actually, may I ask who you are?" Issei phrased, cautiously polite in case either of the two of them were the type to get easily offended. It would only take one after all.

"I'm So-tan's sister, Serafall Leviathan!"

Sona had taught him that magic was a thing to be respected, that it was never to be used carelessly and thoughtlessly. For the most part, Issei had agreed. He now knew the intricacies of magic and had appreciated not only him being able to use it, but the mere knowledge of its existence.

Serafall…..didn't. Not really, or at least, not to the same extent Issei and Sona did.

Any proof Issei needed was provided when, with a magic circle, Serafall changed from formal pinstriped suit to pink magical girl outfit complete with magic wand in an instant.

"Magical Girl Levi-tan, at your service~!"

"She's your sister?" Issei asked, ignoring 'Levi-tan'-much to her consternation- and instead turning to Sona. At her nod, Issei sighed. "My condolences."

"Don't ignore me like that!" Serafall stamped her foot. Issei knew on an intellectual level that she could pretty much annihilate Japan on her own but…she was cosplaying as a magical girl and looked to be a siscon. As much as Issei wanted to, he really couldn't take her seriously. "Mouu, So-tan, this is the magician that made that?" It didn't help that, well, Issei found her quite adorable and the fact that-.

"Made what?" Issei blinked, thought process interrupted by what she just said.

"She means this." A voice smoothly interjected and he turned to find the other person with Serafall Leviathan holding out his sketchpad with his drawing on it.

"That-" Tsubaki said, before stopping herself uncertainly, eyes darting between Issei and the other.

"Uh, I'm sorry but who are you?" Issei asked sheepishly.

"Ah." The man looked off guard for a moment before chuckling. "I'm sorry. I was just used to being known by those I'm introduced to. My name is Ajuka Beelzebub, and I was wondering if I was able to speak with you."

Serafall nodded along, completely missing the meaningful look Ajuka was giving her. Sona however, did see it and acted accordingly.

"Onee-sama, Beelzebub-sama wants to talk to Hyoudou-kun alone." She said, tugging at her older sister's clothes.

"But So-tan! I want to hear about him too!" Serafall protested, pouting at her sister.

"I'm sure Beelzebub-sama will tell you about it. Everyone, out." The last one was directed to her peerage who nodded obediently and left the room.

"You better tell me about it Ajuka-chan!" With that last toss out, Serafall left with her sister who was pleading with her to change back into her suit before someone sees her.

Issei pursed his lips, playing with his crutch and generally being uncomfortable with Ajuka Beelzebub staring at him.

"Um, what did you want to talk to me about?" Issei finally asked, finally not able to take the silence.

"This." Ajuka pushed his pad across the table where he had occupied Sona's usual seat. Issei hesitated for a while before curiosity took over and he sat in front of the table.

"Um, what about it?" Issei picked it up. "I made it as a self-given assignment for magic theory."

"Oho? Self-given?" Ajuka leaned back. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the diligent type."

"That's almost exactly what my mom said." Issei grinned before faltering at Ajuka's piercing stare which felt as if it was looking right into his very being. "Um, did I do something wr-"

"What do you see Hyoudou Issei?" Ajuka asked, effectively cutting Issei off and the latter tensed.

"What are you talking about?" He asked carefully.

"May I?" Ajuka held out an arm and Issei placed the sketchpad on his hand. "Did you know that I'm a researcher? I've always been one and that hasn't changed one bit. In fact, I'm responsible for most of the technology the Underworld utilizes now. I've even published some books on various subjects."

"Um…good for you?" Issei tried, not really understanding what he was getting at.

Ajuka smiled and then said. "I've designed something similar to this back in my youth, back when I didn't know what I know now. It took me nearly a whole month just to design it after meticulously planning for every single possibility, every interchangeable variable. And yet," Ajuka stood up and paced around the table, stopping right in front of Issei. "you, a human that hasn't even reached your second decade of life, that hasn't even known about the existence of magic for a year has found a way to manage.

What do you see I wonder?" Ajuka looked down on him and Issei gripped at his crutch, swallowing nervously. Just when he was sure that the devil in front of him was going to crush him like a bug, the moment passed. "Well, it's not like it's any of my business. I've seen what I wanted to-"

"Numbers." Issei said quietly.

Ajuka turned and rose an eyebrow.

"I can see numbers everywhere." Issei sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He heard Ajuka settle on the chair in front of him. "I see the values of everything. I could tell if the person's been bleeding or not by looking if there's iron somewhere. I can see the makeup of anything. Physics, chemistry, it doesn't matter. If there's numbers in it, I can understand it. Hell," Issei licked his lips. "I could tell if someone's not human by seeing the differences of the values they tell."

"Fascinating." Ajuka breathed out. "Anything?"

"Anything and everything." Issei confirmed. "That's why I've been doing so well with magic. The world's giving me all the tools I need to cast magic. All I need is to gather them up and place them in the proper order and I'm set."

"Would you mind me testing this ability of yours?" At his nod, Ajuka held out his hands and above them, two near identical spheres of water formed. "Can you tell the difference between the two?"

"Left one's more…ordered I suppose. That's the one you made using normal magic right? And the right's the one you made using your devil powers?" Issei said.

"That's certainly an amazing ability Hyoudou-kun." He acknowledged with a tilt of his head, letting his arms drop to the side, the two constructs disappearing as well.

"Is it?" The words were out before he could control himself. "Do you know how easy it is to forget that those values are people too? How easy it is to just see them as nothing more than numbers? I have to remind myself everyday that I'm dealing with people and not just equations on a piece of paper."

Ajuka stared at him, lips set in a thin line. "You would not believe the amount of magicians that would gladly cut off their own limbs or sacrifice their firstborn for that kind of thing Hyoudou-kun. Information is the source of their power, and what you have right now quite possibly trumps the libraries that most magic guilds own. Oh yes, I do suggest you keep quiet and lay low about that ability of yours lest you incur the ire of some cabals. Not all of them are the sort to play nice after all."

"S-Seriously?" Issei gulped, suddenly feeling a lot less brave than just a minute ago. "W-why?"

"I guess you don't truly understand what gift you've been given. Understandable, you are still inexperienced after all." Ajuka muttered. "Let me clear it up for you. You hold in your hands a tool, a weapon even, possibly one of the most potent one in a magician could have in their arsenal. Most magic guilds would gladly slaughter the other to have a chance to own you."

"I never asked for this." Issei slumped in his chair, feeling drained now that the devil in front of him was pointing out a part of what his ability entailed.

"Yet Life gave it to you." Ajuka calmly pointed out. "And there's no point in agonizing over things that could have happened, what you could have changed in the past. Just accept that you've been dealt a hand and that you have to play your cards right."

"Can I ask for a shuffle?" Issei asked, smiling awkwardly. He didn't expect Ajuka to stop and pace the length of the room. _'He's a pacer. Who knew?'_

"What if, yes, that might work." He stopped sharply and looked to Issei. "What if I give you a way to suppress that ability of yours?"

"You can?"

"I might be able to find a way." Ajuka nodded.

"Great!" Issei exclaimed, grinning. "So when are you going to be done?"

Ajuka held up a hand. "Let's discuss payments first."

"Um, uh, payment?" Issei said uncertainly.

"You didn't expect me to just hand something like that over did you?" Ajuka asked with a sly smile before starting a lecture that Issei really wasn't expecting. "Human-devil relations has always been one of give and take. We perform services you request of us and you pay us something of equal value to what we've done. In the past, our ancestors usually demand for something outrageous like the summoner's souls or their firstborn which is terrible for business, not to mention ethically appalling. Now, young devils usually just ask for money or jewels or other material objects, but sometimes, mostly High-Class devils without any more need for more of those things, they can usually ask for favors as well." Ajuka leaned in towards Issei. "That's what I'm asking of you. Grant me a single favor and I'll make you something that would suppress your….. unique ability. Not permanently of course, but it's certainly a better alternative than to see the whole world as nothing more than values don't you say?"

"Then what favor do you want me to do?" Issei asked, hoping to God that it wasn't something he isn't able to do like kill a man, or end a civilization, or run a marathon.

"Let me pick your brain from time to time." Ajuka smiled. "That's all I ask of you."

Just as he walked towards the door, he added. "And maybe a small thing too. Just a minor errand, really. Wouldn't be a trouble for someone with your kind of ability."

Issei hesitated a bit at the added stipulation but then he said, "I'll do it.", completing his deal with the devil. The latter's satisfied smile made him think that he was a bit out of his depth and that he somehow made a mistake in accepting the deal at face value.

()()()()()()()()()

"Serafall." Ajuka opened the door, and almost immediately, the group of people that were gathered outside quieted down. "I've finished my business with Hyoudou-kun here. I'm going to return to the Underworld now."

"Me too!" The Leviathan sprang towards him, a skip in her step. "I still have to finish a trade agreement with the Greek Pantheon by tomorrow! Bye So-tan! Bye So-tan's peerage! I hope to get to know you better the next time we meet!"

"Goodbye Onee-sama," Sona said tiredly. "Beelzebub-sama."

"Sona." Ajuka nodded before turning and laying a hand on Issei's shoulder who had followed him out of the room. "Hyoudou-kun, I will be contacting you in the future about my request."

"Sure. You know how to reach me?" Issei asked, a little bit eager to get some semblance of normality once more.

"I'll just stop by this school when I need you." The Beelzebub assured him. "Expect me within the next few weeks."

"Of course." The aspiring magician nodded.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **This finished earlier than I expected, though it's also admittedly shorter than I envisioned. Still, at least I managed to update another chapter before the year ends. Good track record for me so far I think. I'll try to keep it up. Yaaaaayy.**

 **I know that barely anything happened to this chapter, but I'm still setting the foundation here and I doubt that that would stop any time soon. Worldbuilding and all. Thanks to me finally being able to both meet up and discuss this fic with my betareader, I got some notes and the backbone for chapter 4 now aaaannnd seeing as I still have around half a month till the next semester comes around(as of the time of writing) I might even be able to finish it. Yaaaaaaaay.**

 **Speaking of my betareader, demonwarrior1029 is now all but my copilot. Yaaaaaaay. I also got into RWBY recently and, while there's no plan for me writing a fic about that, my former betareader-turned-copilot referred me to a fic on a site called spacebattles entitled "The Games We Play." I still don't get how RWBY connects to DxD, but he says it's a good way for me to start planning up for my worldbuilding. He also linked me to a video called "Zeruel's Boast" and Badass Boasts are quite possibly one of my favorite tropes ever, doubly so for angels of the Abrahamic Faction.**

 **Read that however you like.**

 **Reviews are both appreciated and helpful.**

 **P.S.**

 **Anyone else disappointed that nothing noteworthy happened for the Evangelion franchise in 2015?**

* * *

 **Omake!**

(Blame demonwarrior1029 for this)

* * *

 **The adventures of Pokemaster Rias!**

"Akeno, use Thunder!"

"Rias, please stop this."

"No! I'm only a short distance away from a boss fight, I can feel it!"

"...Fine." The Queen sighed, not even having the energy to enjoy the pain she was inflicting and just wanting to go home.

"Can't forget the reward!" The redhead said brightly, bending over the charred and still slightly smoking body to collect her winnings. "This is so fun!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary** : It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

"So what did you and Beelzebub-sama talk about?" Sona grilled Issei the moment they were inside the Student Council Room again and once she was perfectly sure that the two Maous weren't anywhere nearby.

Issei sighed, and leaned on his crutch. _'It's not like he told me to keep this between the two of us right?'_ He asked himself, reviewing his conversation with The Devil (one of four of them anyway) and trying to remember if Ajuka had said/implied something about _not_ telling anything to anyone about their deal.

He could see Tsubasa and Tsubaki not so subtly leaning in to listen to his answer. It wouldn't be that obvious to him, especially focused as he was, but Tsubasa was holding her magazine upside down and, while Tsubaki was subtler, Issei was either wrong about his impression about her and that she really does like 'For Her Magazine' featuring 'Bodybuilder Nakamura Ryo vs Kyousuke Konata in a mudpit!' or she had picked up the nearest convenient magazine to give off the impression that she wasn't listening in.

In the end, Issei gave up and just decided to tell them because it was easier than the alternative, not to mention the fact that telling them might in turn give him another insight to the deal he had cut.

"That's a dangerous precedent you've set Hyoudou-kun." Sona grimaced once he finished. "If you have any future plans of contracting with a devil, then it would be a good idea to negotiate and make it so that it either gives you a greater advantage or to make your payment less ambiguous. While speaking with a Maou even just once or twice might greatly benefit you in your magic, agreeing to an errand given by one of Beelzebub-sama's power without knowing anything beforehand is significantly more risky. Not that I distrust Beelzebub-sama." Sona hurried to reassure Issei since he was starting to look a bit nauseous as his imagination provided him just _what_ kind of tasks a Devil might seek to give him. "He is actually one of the group that was against the exploitation and deliberate endangerment of humans."

"You really should have led with that you know." Issei sighed, some of the lightheadedness and stomach-turning regret passing by now that his first ever devil contract was given Sona's stamp of, well, probably not approval, but at least she said it was safe for the time being. "Besides," He added. " _you_ try saying no to the Beelzebub when he's looking at you like that."

"That sounds just like something from one of the BL douji- I mean one of the erog-I mean!...I'll just keep quiet now." Reya said, a furious blush on her face, twiddling her thumbs and occasionally glancing up at Issei before dragging her gaze back to the ground, face reddening even further.

The only boy in the room stared at the girl before shaking his head, telling himself that he had just misheard. Going by Tsubaki's repetition of his actions, he assumed that the Queen was doing the same thing. _'I guess it really_ is _the quiet ones.'_ He thought idly, taking that as a confirmation of the stereotype. _'Not like I can say anything though.'_ Issei's lips twitched, remembering the various things in his room including but not limited to: Manga and Light novels with the Ecchi tag, figurines that weren't exactly what one would call 'appropriately dressed' and a _lot_ of eroge and related animes.

"I agree." Sona said. "People that lead an entire civilization aren't exactly ones that you just say no to, especially considering that Beelzebub-sama and the others gained their position by eradicating the previous ones from their seat of power."

"See? I trained my wisdom stat." Issei said wisely, nodding his head, left hand stroking his chin. "I can feel it increasing. Maybe I'll even gain a skill when it reaches 50."

Sona looked at him dryly. "Are you finished?"

"Not really." Issei scratched at his cheek, dropping the faux seriousness and giving her a grin. "I think I can still keep going."

"I'd really prefer you not." Sona said, voice the same as her gaze: dry as the desert.

"I'd like it to keep going." Tsubasa chirped in, shrinking back to her faux reading and blushing once she realized it was upside down, quickly righting it up. "Oh."

Tsubaki, looking at the the Knight disapprovingly, she looked at her own magazine. "O-oh! Tsubasa, while I do not want to tell you to stop your hobbies, I would appreciate it if you don't bring it to the Student Council Room. It might give the wrong impression to the students that come here, and we have an image to uphold."

"I'm pretty sure half of the students would appreciate some of the pictures there." The blue-haired Rook pouted, though she took the proffered magazine all the same, placing it back on her bag.

"I wouldn't." Issei rose a hand, looking at her judgingly.

"Of course you wouldn't. You're a guy. This is a girl thing." Tsubasa said loftily, tilting her chin up at him.

"Thank god for that." Issei deadpanned and every one of the occupants suddenly winced, Issei blinking in surprise. "What?"

"Hyoudou-kun, please keep in mind that we're devils." Sona sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Invoking the name of the Christian Deity is enough to cause damage to us."

"...Seriously?" Issei asked incredulously. "How does that even work?"

"Well, as I understand it, He devised a system for it."

"...The Christian God made a whole system for _reality_ just to hurt Devils who say His name?" Issei tilted his head, face scrunched up. "I don't get it. If He could do that, then why didn't He just, I don't know, kill off your entire race or something? No offense."

Sona nodded slowly. "No, that's actually a very good point. Maybe because He was the type to practice what His Son had preached in this world? 'Love thy Neighbor as You Love Thyself?'"

"So…...Jesus did exist?" Reya asked, hand raising to her lips, eyes wide.

"No no, that's not important." Issei dismissed, ignoring the fact that that simple knowledge is probably enough to shake modern society as it is, with over a billion people believing in Christianity or some sect of it. "I mean, _how_ does the system decide? Seeing as I'm _not_ a devil, and _I_ was the one who said His name, why would _you_ get damaged? And if He's so benevolent, then why _put_ that in place?"

"Because, Hyoudou-kun," Sona grimaced, obviously uncomfortable with the discussion. "as much as we would like to forget it, most of devilkind before our Civil War were hardly what you would call as _kind_ individuals. They were…..chaotic I would say. They, and us to a certain extent, are devils for a reason you know." She smiled at him, that awkwardness disappearing and in it's place, a hint of deviousness touching her lips. Sona continued with her explanation. "And I would suppose that maybe it was His way of giving humanity a way to fight back, to tip the scales back in their favor as it were. It really is no secret that He loved humans and with our ancestors taking advantage of their greed." Sona shrugged, letting him paint his own picture. "It was inevitable I would say. And effective. From what I've heard several orders have taken advantage of that and incorporated chants and prayers to their Lord during 'exterminations' of devils." Sona lips twisted in distaste at the word.

After a moment of thinking, Issei suddenly stared at Sona. "God."

Sona's eye twitched though aside from that, she said nothing else with Tsubaki bearing it with the same stoicism, with only a tightening of her hands as sign that she felt the pain. Tsubasa however, grimaced and Reya let out an adorable sounding 'eep!' before clutching at her head which made Issei feel a bit bad of himself.

"See? What about that?" Issei asked, massaging his brow. "Is God," another round of wincing. "really omnipotent? No wait, wrong word, Omni, Omni-something, what's the word?"

"Omniscient?" Tsubaki suggested.

"Yeah, that." Issei said, nodding his thanks to Tsubaki. "I mean, even your kind of devils?" Issei complained, pointing to where Tsubasa and Reya were who started in their seats, pointing to themselves in confusion. "That's just all levels of unfair! His system is broken as hell if it's capable of _that_ level of independence." He finished, pouting.

"Well…...He is the G- I mean, he is the Leader of the angels." Reya said timidly, swapping the words at the last second to avoid the pain of invocation. "Isn't it kind of normal to be that powerful?"

"You know what they are?" Sona asked, cutting between the two of them like a whip.

"Uh, what?" Issei blinked, taken aback by the sudden sharpness in her tone.

"I don't believe I ever told you about the Peerage system Hyoudou-kun." Sona said, suddenly acting very cautious of him. "Did Rias tell you about it?"

"The Peerage system?" Issei repeated, trying to remember if he's ever heard the phrase before. "Isn't that what your older sister called the Student Council?"

The Student Council President sighed and muttered underneath her breath. "Sometimes, I have no idea what to do with you Hyoudou-kun. You do something incredible one moment then show off your ignorance the next."

Issei grinned at her unabashedly.

()()()()()()()()()

"Uggghhhh. I failed!"

"D-Don't worry Rin-chan. There's always a next test."

"M-Maybe there's a correction?"

"My average for the class is around the low 90s now."

Amidst the groans of disappointment and the cheers of exhilaration by the students of class, one stood out to Issei.

"HAH!" Matsuda crowed, holding up his paper proudly. "I got a 77 in my quiz! Suck it! I'm gonna buy myself another video game for this!"

"Yeah, yeah, congrats." Issei waved off the paper, more because it was all but shoved into his face than disdain for his friend's achievement. "Would you sit down now? There's still gonna be a lesson." He pointed out, the teacher finishing up his calling of the student's names and passing them the results of the tests the class had taken just the class before.

"What'd you get anyway?" Matsuda asked Motohama over Issei's laid down head.

"89." He grunted, staring at his results. "I got almost all of them right, but I made a mistake in one item and I forgot to round off the answer for number 6."

"Screw you." Matsuda said in response. "What about you Issei?"

"100." He answered, voice muffled by the fact that he was speaking more to his own arm than to Matsuda. He did raise his hand to show off the encircled '100' at the top of his paper.

"Screw you too." Matusda turned up his nose at both of them with great dignity.

"Back at you." Issei tilted his head to look at Matsuda with one eye. "And is this really the thanks you give me after all I've done for you? After everything I've taught you?"

The shaved highschooler rolled his eyes. "Boo-hoo. I gave you some cookies already didn't I?"

"Cookies? Cookies?" He gasped, actually deigning to sit up in his indignancy. "You really think _cookies_ are worth the knowledge that is mathematics? Mathematics, the truth of the world and the closest we can get to the handwriting of God himself? You really think cookies are worth _that?_

"Fine fine, I'll bake you another damn batch, now stop with the guilt trip." Matsuda snapped.

Issei smirked in response, laying his head back down just as the teacher began his lecture. "Thank you."

After that, the day passed by pretty quickly barely anything of note happening. There _was_ that thing where he found evidence of other supernatural activities by the tennis court, but aside from that, there was nothing.

"Issei, you going home?" Motohama asked, looking at him from where he and Matsuda were mopping up the floor of their room. Issei, in a fit of generosity, as well as wanting to spend more time with his friends, had shrugged and helped them by cleaning the board.

"Yeah." He confirmed, placing the eraser on the desk top. "I still have to finish my english assignment."

"That's due two days from now!" Matsuda complained.

"Yeah, well, Kaichou said that she was expecting me to raise my grades, top 20 of the school _at least_." He grimaced. "I mean, I know I'm good in math and all, but I _suck_ at history and english."

"Study." Motohama suggested.

Issei rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say. You were in the top 10 in the entrance exam."

"It's great." Motohama grinned. "They actually _give_ me money for going here."

"Just wait." Issei promised. "Next sem, I'm getting money from this school too."

"Good luck." The two told him, Motohama slightly encouraging, slightly challenging and Matsuda listless.

There really had been nothing out of the usual that happened the whole day, nothing major to take note of.

So Issei really should have expected it when, nearing the end of the day, something happened because _of course there was._

"Who's that?"

"He looks so cool!"

"Do you think he's waiting for someone?"

"Why else would he be here?"

Internally, Issei debated on turning around and just levitating himself over the wall before dismissing it. At this time of the day, there were too many people around to see him, and he didn't want to inconvenience Sona and/or Rias for a mindwipe as well as the fact that he was slightly uncomfortable with the practice. So Issei steeled himself and walked towards the gate, hoping against hope that it wasn't him the man was waiting for.

It was all in vain of course. Life seemed to be the type that never left him alone, and one Ajuka Beelzebub was looking to be much the same.

"That's so cold of you Hyoudou-kun." He murmured, pushing off the wall, putting away his phone. "I never deemed you the type to just ignore someone like that."

"W-Why does he know Hyoudou?"

"You think they're an item?"

"No way~ He's too handsome for a guy like Hyoudou. Besides, I don't think Hyoudou swings that way."

"B-but they do look good together though."

Issei's eyes twitched. He may not have extra-sharp hearing, but it really didn't matter as the girls that were staring at them were in no way subtle about their gossiping.

"Okay, whatever you want, tell me when we're out of earshot of the school, deal?" Issei ground out, passing him and prompting the Devil to follow.

"Deal." Ajuka demurred, eyes shining their amusement, sparking even more reactions amongst the women that was currently being beholden to their interaction.

"Oh! Hyoudou's so bold!"

"So he's the type to take charge huh?"

' _Breathe in Issei.'_ He thought to himself, closing his eyes. _'Only four more years till you can set out in the world. Besides, who needs a good reputation anyway? I like playing_ my _life in hard mode.'_

"So what are you doing here anyway?" He asked Ajuka, privately intimidated on how the latter lorded over him in height, the Devil having nearly a whole foot on him.

"Hm? I did ask to pick your brain once in a while didn't I?" Ajuka rose an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me you're reneging on our deal so soon?"

"Fine." Issei sighed. "Where do you want to go?"

"I've been thinking on grabbing some coffee." Ajuka said, matching his pace with Issei. "You want? I'll pay." He offered.

Issei thought about it. "Yeah, sure. Why not. You got a place in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to try out the menu in a cafe a friend has told me about." Ajuka hummed. "Would you be willing to indulge me?"

"I already agreed didn't I?" Issei pointed out. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that you'll somehow make this worse for me if I _don't_ agree, so might as well take the lesser of two evils."

"Good man." Ajuka approved. "You're already learning."

"I try my best." Issei said dryly.

"This is it." Ajuka suddenly stopped in front of a building that Issei didn't recognize, a window with the words 'Ma fille patissiere' written on it in smooth cursive. The Devil opened the door for Issei. "After you."

"Thanks." He grunted, entering the warm little cafe, being greeted by some light jazz music as well as a pretty waitress that smiled at the two of them.

"Ah, table for two?" She asked, the words seeming a bit…...strange to Issei.

"Yes, thank you." Ajuka nodded, laying a hand on Issei's shoulder and steering him to the two-seater table the waitress had led them to.

"Good morning sirs, my name is Claudia and I will be your server for the day." She asked once they were settled in, handing them each a menu. "The special of the day is the clam chowder. Complimentary breadsticks sir?"

"Hmm, I would like the cafe corretto with a side of the blueberry cheesecake please. Oh, I haven't eaten yet, and a strawberry cornetto."

"Of course. And for the other gentleman?"

"Uhh," Issei said ever so eloquently, looking at the menu in confusion at seeing all the fancy names that he had no idea of pronouncing properly. "J-Just coffee please. Cream and sugar. And a cheesecake too." He added as an afterthought at remembering that he was being treated by his host.

"Hmm." Ajuka let out, prompting Issei to look at him curiously.

"What?"

"Such a shame, only buying regular coffee that is, specially on a place such as this." He continued vaguely. "It would've been better to choose something more…...foreign to your tastes. Ah well, there's always next time."

"I have no idea what you're saying." Issei confessed. _'There's gonna be a next time?'_

"Still, I had no idea you knew how Italian, though this certainly makes it more convenient, won't you say _?"_

"Ah? I don't know Italian, what are you talking about?"

Ajuka rose an eyebrow before giving both him and the restaurant a once over. "You have no idea where we are? I guess that would be my fault, bringing you here without your permission or even your knowledge of it is a tad rude. I'm sorry for that."

"Wait wait, what are you talking about. Clear it up for me." Issei interrupted, snapping the menu shut and laying it down on the table. "We're in….we're in _Italy?_ "

Ajuka inclined his head at him.

"B-But, that's like, halfway around the world." Issei stuttered out. "H-How?"

Ajuka gave him a smile. "I'm a Maou." He said simply.

He probably didn't mean it that way, but those three words gave Issei the chills. _'He just sent the two of us_ halfway _across the world without me even_ noticing.' Issei thought, licking his suddenly dry lips. _'No, there was barely even any magic used! I didn't even_ _ **see**_ _a magic circle! H-how is that even?'_ Issei stared at the Devil who was back to perusing the menu, not even managing to complete his thought process.

' _So this is the power of a Maou…...'_ Issei swallowed, wondering when the lump in his throat appeared. _'I guess those numbers aren't just for show. But how'd he do it?'_ He internally screamed at himself. Logistically, _numerically,_ he couldn't make heads or tails of it. There was just no possible way Issei could see it happening.

For how fantastical magic seemed- and against the romanticized view normal people see magic as- magic still followed a set of rules, was still governed by several laws of nature.

For one thing, circles were almost always _the_ single most important part of the equation, it was _the_ backbone, the foundation of the entire thing with the only exceptions-Issei assumed from trial and error as well as some light research- being found in highly unlikely, very rare cases and even then it was a stretch to completely reason out.

For another, even magic can't ignore the laws of conservation of energy. A practitioner just can't call up a sphere of water or fire from nothing. There were steps involved to it, and in every step, useable energy would be lost. Not completely of course, that depended on the efficiency and brains of the caster, as well as their magical muscle, but generally, there _will_ be at least _some_ bleedover energy in some part of the system.

The amount of energy needed to transport someone across space was by no means a trivial amount- that's why teleportation circles were usually, at the very least, human sized, more equations fit into more space means that the magical 'heat' taking place was spread out, meaning less magical energy needed to actually _create_ them- doubly so when taken into account the fact that the requirement energy needed increases proportionally to the distance between the two points, unless something was there to act as a buffer, or there was already a magical circle set in place of the target destination that was either powered by leylines, runes, or the magic of another practitioner, in which the power needed to create the transportation circle was cut by as much as half, maybe even more depending on a lot of other variables.

While Issei had absolutely no doubt that Ajuka was capable of powering one that could transport two people from Japan to Italy without a sweat, he would need to at least put in _some_ magic in it. At least, that was what logic told Issei to assume.

Of course, and it was still purely theoretical, Issei _could_ imagine a magical circle that was so efficient that it required barely any magical energy to power it up, approaching zero actually, but it was purely theoretical and what's more, it lay more along the lines of a perpetual motion machine, pretty to look at but ultimately useless except for a mental exercise, _not_ transporting two people across vast distances.

' _So HOW did he do it?! No wait, calm down Issei, you still have more important matters to take care of._ ' Issei told himself, taking in a deep breath. _'Like how in the hell you managed to understand freaking ITALIAN!'_

"I need to get some air." He stood up abruptly, grabbing his crutch from where it lay against the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Do hurry it up or your coffee will be cold when you get back."

Issei ignored the Devil, probably not a smart move considering his recent findings, but at this point, he didn't really care. He just needed to think for a while.

He was also pretty sure that Ajuka had muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Just on time.' but that was probably paranoia speaking. God knows that being around a freaking Lord of the Underworld would do that to a person.

So Issei walked, noticing that a vast majority of the people he was encountering along the way seemed to come from one place.

A few blocks down the cafe, he found a pretty nice plaza, complete with fountain even, quite a few people dotting the place here and there, but quiet enough for a few moments of introspection for which Issei was a bit glad for.

It started out as a simple school day and somehow ended up with him in Italy, having lunch-Issei squinted up at the morning sun of Italy- breakfast, he amended in his own thoughts, with not _a_ devil, but _The_ Devil, or at least, one of Four which is barely any better now that Issei thought about it.

He gave a sigh, letting his arms drop to his side and staring up at the clouds that had now covered the sky. _'Italy's beautiful.'_ He realized, just noticing the quaint little church nearby, the birds flying down from their place in the trees and perching on the stone birdbaths stationed on the plaza. A soft breeze even came by, the few trees there swaying with the wind. Issei's lips unconsciously twitched at the picturesque scene. _'I wish I could draw.'_ He mused to himself. _'I bet my parents would appreciate seeing this.'_

"U-Um," A voice cut in and Issei blinked, turning to see concerned green eyes peering over at him, golden-blonde hair held underneath a white and blue nun's headdress while she herself was clad in a habit of the same color scheme.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you, but you kind of looked down and I was wondering if, um, I could….help you?" She asked, slowly looking down at her hands and twiddling her thumbs, looking up at him from underneath her fringe before dropping her gaze back down. "I-It's okay if you don't want to though."

()()()()()()()()()

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you so sad about?" The girl, who had introduced herself as Asia Argento, asked Issei, the latter sitting back down and handing her a can of soda from the vending machine a few steps away from where the two were situated. "Thank you very much. I've been told that I'm a good listener." She added as an afterthought, looking at the soda can in her with an almost constipated sort of confusion and Issei tried to suppress a laugh, though the grin still came through

"I guess." Issei admitted, figuring that venting out his feelings to a complete stranger in a foreign country, in a language he didn't even know he knew contributed a bit to that feeling of confusion he's been feeling before shrugging it off. He's _way_ past the line. "Well, I guess I've just been a bit confused at how fast my life's been going. A few months ago, everything was just normal then," He shrugged, lifting up his crutch in emphasis. "things just happened. A lot of things actually. I guess I just panicked a bit. Do you need help with that?" Issei asked, holding out his hand to Asia.

"Ummmm, y-yes. Sorry" The blonde said meekly, handing it back to him. He popped open the top, handing it back to Asia. "It doesn't have a straw." He added. "You just drink it from the can."

"Oh." Asia nodded, sipping at the can, brightening up. "I may not be the best person to say this, but maybe change isn't all that bad? After all, God loves us all, and He has a plan for everyone of us. Just wait Issei-san, and you'll see the good in what He's done for you."

' _An act of God huh?'_ Issei considered sardonically. _'Never really considered that angle before. Then again, never been the religious type either.'_ Out loud, he said. "I guess He didn't have a plan that didn't involve me losing the use of my leg?" He saw Asia pause, could almost _see_ the wheels turning in her brain, could see her mull over on a decision.

"U-um, Issei-san, can I please try something? For your leg that is." She fidgeted, and Issei felt his breath hitch in his throat even as hope flared in his chest, so intense that it nearly, physically hurt.

He squashed it down immediately after though. No need to get his hopes up for nothing. Still, he didn't deny that the thought that he could walk again on his own two legs was nice.

"P-please don't panic Issei-san," Asia said, taking a deep breath and getting up from the chair and kneeling by Issei's right leg. She raised her hands, laying them over it and closed her eyes, lips moving in a silent prayer. Green light covered her hands, and Issei's eyes widened, looking at it in slight wonder. "It's called Twilight Healing." She explained, looking not at him, but at the green glow. "I actually just finished a healing mass here."

"Is this a…...Sacred Gear?" Issei asked, remembering the words Rias had said what felt like so long ago.

"E-eh?" Asia asked, looking up at him in surprise. "Y-You know what this is?"

"I've heard of it before, in passing." Issei scratched his cheek. "I'm kind of a magician." To demonstrate, he held out his hand and with a small effort, created a small magic circle the size of her palm. "See?"

"Ooohhh. That's so cool Issei-san!" Asia gushed, looking at it wonderingly. "I've never seen pagan magic before!"

' _Pagan?'_ Issei thought. _'Does the Church have its own brand of magic?'_ He made a mental note on that particular tidbit, making sure to read up on that topic when he had the time.

Asia blinked and looked down on his leg. The green light suddenly intensified before fading out again.

"I-I don't," Asia stammered, looking at her hands in shock. "W-why didn't it?"

"It didn't work didn't it?." Issei asked gently .

"N-No. But that's never happened before!" The blonde steeled herself, eyes suddenly sharpening. "Please let me try again."

Issei blinked before sighing and laying his hands on top of her head. "Thank you for trying. I appreciate it, I really do. But maybe this is another one of those things that God has in plan. For both of us."

"I- I, but, I can still."

"Thank you." Issei stressed for the third time, looking straight at her. Asia stilled, dropping her gaze.

"I'm sorry I couldn't heal your leg. That's never happened before." She admitted, seemingly growing smaller.

"Ah, it's okay." Issei waved his hands dismissively. "I've gotten used to this anyway. It isn't all that bad. Really. He insisted at Asia's look. _'Also, I think that people might ask questions if I suddenly become able to walk again.'_ He added to himself. "Besides, you already helped me with my problems." He looked down at his watch before grimacing. "I have somewhere to be right now. Bye Asia, thanks for everything." He stood up and stretched, Asia following suit.

"Goodbye Issei-san." Asia waved her goodbye at him. "I hope you have a good life!"

"You too Asia." Issei said, adding jokingly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." _'Like getting caught up in the business of devils.'_ He thought half-jokingly, half-self-deprecatingly. "Thanks for the talk."

"Thank you for the drink."

' _Maybe I'm better off this way.'_ Issei mused, walking back to the cafe after one last wave to the blonde girl who had given him a minute of her time to listen to his problems. Being run over by a truck, getting crippled. Maybe it really _isn't_ a problem, more like...stumbling blocks. Yeah, that sounded right.

After all, he learned about the existence of magic. He met the leader/overlord of an entire freaking culture, a culture that was pretty much hidden from normal society. He even met Sona's older sister who- Issei couldn't still quite suppress his disbelief on the fact-was yet _another_ one who lorded over in Devils, powerful both politically, and personally.

And of course, he truly met the girl known as Sona Sitri.

"You're back." Ajuka stated, giving him a once-over and seeing that some of the tenseness that wrapped around Issei had…loosened somewhat. "You got what you needed?"

"Yeah." Issei said with a twitch of his lips. He leaned over, taking his still-warm coffee and pulled the plate that contained his cake towards him. "Yeah I think I did."

"Good." Ajuka nodded in what looked like faint approval. "Hyoudou-kun, let me give you a bit of advice, from one person to another. There _will_ be times where you need to discard emotions and use the facts to make decisions that can affect a lot of people."

"You think that'll happen to me?" Issei asked in surprise.

"Oh trust me," The Devil took a sip of his coffee. "I've a certain knowledge on things like this. Oh, that reminds me." He reached into his inside coat pocket and withdrew a small package. "This is what you've asked of me. Test it out, see if it works."

()()()()()()()()()

"Anyone else find it a bit weird that Kuoh's bad luck for…...well, shrine like things in general?" Issei commented, looking at a map of their town pinned to the wall in the Student Council room. "Because we have like, two abandoned shrines here. There's also that abandoned church over there. I mean, what _happened_ to those things? Did people just up and gave up on them?" Issei asked, turning to Sona. "I would've liked going to those during festivals." He added a bit sadly.

Those have been abandoned before we got here Hyoudou-kun." Sona told him. "As I understand it, the shrines were built too far away for it to be strictly convenient to the average person."

"

"...Then why build it that far away at all?" Issei stared at the map, tilting his head and squinting at it. It _was_ quite some distance from the town proper, though not enough to merit the absolute desertion of the place.

"Spirits." Tsubaki said. "Shrines wouldn't really work if there aren't spirits, and the forests outside Kuoh are teeming with them."

"Aren't there ways to make those spirits move? So the shrines could actually be used?" Issei asked, sitting back down on the couch and grabbing a notepad and pen. "Seems a waste of effort."

"Well you have to ask the ones who actually made them, because I personally have no idea what they were thinking when they built it." Tsubaki shrugged. "Maybe they miscalculated, maybe some trickster youkai fiddled with the designers minds, maybe it was just human error. Whatever the case, they made those shrines the way they are."

Issei scratched at his neck, mumbling. "Still seems like a waste to me."

"So what did you and Beelzebub-sama talk about Hyoudou-kun?" Sona changed the subject, still busy with the paperwork though obviously curious. "And don't you answer 'nothing'. Having a one-on-one talk with a Maou is something desired by a _lot_ of magicians. That is hardly nothing."

"Oh," Issei said, scratching at his cheek. "Well, we talked shop about advanced Magic Theory and the like. He knows a _lot_ of things." He added, quite uselessly. "There was also him talking about the Underworld. Did they really make a _sun_ just for the resurrected devils?"

"Yes they did." Sona confirmed. "The humans that were turned into devils said that having a dark sky over them all the time made them feel a bit depressed even though they had a devil's constitution, so the Maous decided to make a sun for their convenience."

Issei's eye twitched. "There's _so_ many things wrong in that last sentence of yours. Who just up and makes a freaking _sun."_ Issei groused, continuing to mumble things under his breath about that fact.

"So what else did you talk about?" Reya asked, not looking up from her crossword, biting at the end of her pencil. "Oh! 'Antiquity'". She wrote the answer, checking to see if it held up and nodding in satisfaction as it did.

"Well…...not much else after that." Issei grinned at Sona sheepishly. "Aside from him complaining about his younger brother, there really isn't much to talk about. I mean, the two of us are so different from each other."

"His younger brother?" Sona's lips twisted in distaste. "He talked about Diodora Astaroth?"

"Why be like that Kaichou?" Issei asked with an inquisitive gaze. "Do you dislike him or something?"

"It's not that I have anything against him personally." Sona said with an expression that told Issei the contrary. "It's just that there have been….. _rumors_ about Beelzebub-sama's younger brother, less than stellar things said about him. I don't buy it personally of course, I only met him once." She was quick to reassure, laying down her pen on top of her table. "But I admit….he did rub me the wrong way….especially that peerage of his."

"Why?"

"Well, I don't want to say anything concrete, but all told, he's got somewhat of a bad reputation amongst the servants of my household. Some hearsay about abuse and the like." Sona's eyes flashed and tossed Issei a glare. "Don't you dare tell Beelzebub-sama about what I just said."

"Yeah, yeah." Issei raised his hands in capitulation. "Don't worry sheesh. I'm not the type to blab you know."

Tsubasa, who had finished her daily workload, looked up and stared at what everyone seemed to have missed the entire time. "H-Hyoudou-kun, why do you have a choker?"

Upon hearing those words, Sona looked up from her table in almost alarm and zeroed in on the small, plain black choker on his neck with what looked like a tiny rectangular box no bigger than her thumb attached to it.

"Are you one of those types now?" The bluenette continued with more eagerness than Issei was strictly comfortable with.

"Uhhh." He managed to articulate quite brilliantly before gulping at the voice that spoke before him.

"Yes Hyoudou-kun." Sona said, voice ripe with disappointment and hostility. "Are you one of _those_ types now?"

"No no!" He waved his hands. "This is something from Ajuka-san! It's something to help me with magic." He lied through his teeth, not knowing why, yet feeling that his ability to see numbers everywhere was something he needed to keep close to his chest.

"...okay then." Sona said suspiciously, giving him one last glare before returning to her work. "Hyoudou-kun, I expect nothing less from you other than stellar behavior. Got it?"

"G-Got it." Issei nodded weakly.

"H-He just called Beelzebub-sama 'Ajuka-san'. Do you think the rumors are true?" A slightly blushing Reya whispered to Tsubasa, whose eyes widened and eagerly turned to her fellow peerage member for info.

"What rumors?" She asked excitedly, glancing between the Bishop and Issei, attempting-and failing- to be subtle.

Issei inwardly despaired.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei walked home slightly hanging back behind Matsuda and Motohama. He idly reached up and, after groping for the button- he still wasn't quite used to the thing hanging around his neck- clicked it, turning the small machine off.

Immediately, the numbers returned to his field of vision, swarming him for the first few seconds before Issei got his ability under control, leaving him a clear view. He looked down at it before smiling, clicking it on again, the numbers disappearing from view, the small light turning back from red to green, and caught up to his two friends.

"You guys want ice cream? My treat." Issei said, a happily content smile in place.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Updates yaaayyy. Nothing much to say this chapter really, though that's coz not much really happened, aside from my attempts at world and character building, though lots of seeds have been planted, many quite obvious but there are a few that might be a curveball for many of you. Or maybe you can spot those and post it in a review?**

 **Issei speaking Italian as well as his meeting with Asia** _ **will**_ **be explained later on, so please keep your suspension of disbelief on until I reach that point. Until then, you're free to theorize by yourself on how he's done that.**

 **Also, Issei's pretty much/seemingly going Accelerator mode now. Only the maniacal screaming left as well as the tendency to do violence and he's pretty much set.**

 **And oh, if you're confused by the magical theory and other magitech babble, blame demonwarrior1029 for that.**

 **Well, that's that I guess. First post of 2016. Yaayyyy again.**

 **Reviews are both appreciated and helpful.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"Onii-sama! Play with me!" Rias demanded, eight-year old cheeks puffing up in anger at being ignored by her older brother.

"I'm sorry Ria-tan!" Like an idiot, the Lucifer swept up her little sister in his arms, crying his disappointment. "I'm busy!" He suddenly put her down and gave a grin. "But, I've got the perfect thing!" He drew something from his coat and showed it to her proudly.

As normal eight-year olds won't to do, Rias' eyes widened, mouth opening in a perfect 'O' eagerly grabbing at the proffered toy. "What is it, what is it?"

"It's a Gamerboy!" Sirzechs said with a sage nod, ignoring Grayfia's muttered "It's called gameboy" at his side and leant down next to his sister. "It has a game called Pokemon right now."

"I'll play it!" Rias cried out joyfully. "Thank you! You're the best Onii-sama ever!"

"M-Maou-sama, are you crying?" Grayfia asked, voice incredulous.

"No I'm not." Sirzechs denied, tears in his eyes.

' _Why did I marry this idiot?'_ Grayfia despaired.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Issei walked home from the outskirts of town, frowning in disappointment over his overall failure. He had gone out of his way to look for a suitable place in order to practice magic in a more durable environment. Sure, Sona had offered him the use of the school grounds as a place to exercise his usage of the arcane arts, but Issei didn't think that she would take too kindly on his experiments with the more destructive side of it. After all, using fire magic wasn't exactly known as a kickstarter for a barbecue, and more along the lines of the prelude to a forest fire.

Nowhere was available however, at least, no place where it wasn't liable to gain the attention of the local authorities, and while Sona and even Rias would probably wipe their minds clean or even set up a barrier to discourage people snooping in if he asked of it, he felt uncomfortable messing with other people's minds.

Still, it really didn't change the fact that he hasn't actually started on evocation of any sorts which made Issei a bit sad. He really, really wanted to be able to cast fire bolt.

He heaved a sigh, blinking when the view to his right changed from forest to something else and found that it was a stone stairway.

"Is this one of those shrines?" Issei asked himself, looking up at it and shielding his eyes from the sun, squinting and making out a red torii above. "I guess it was closer than I thought." He said, remembering his and Sona's discussion about it. Issei shrugged and made to walk past it when he stopped in his tracks, remembering the words of a certain blonde nun all the way over in Italy.

"Act of god huh?" Issei muttered, to himself, looking back at it thoughtfully. "Wouldn't hurt I guess." He humored himself, turning to the temple. "Though I don't think this was what she had in mind when talking about a god." With a sigh, he began his walk up the stairs, though he did cheat about halfway through and just levitated himself up, passing through the torii with a curious gaze.

Issei looked at the place with an appreciative once-over. It was a beautiful place-if a bit stereotypical as a shrine- well-maintained even, which struck him as highly suspicious, given that the place apparently hadn't been occupied by anyone for probably years now, though he didn't dismiss the idea of a caretaker being hired to clean up the place, or a few devoted people delegating themselves to the task.

He looked around before approaching the front of the shrine, clapping his hands together and bowing for a brief moment.

The only warning he got was in the form of a low growl before it attacked.

Issei turned as quickly as he could, and the only thing that saved his life was a combination of the sudden rush of adrenaline as well as the fact that he had already ingrained his own defensive circle into his brain.

It sprang to life before him, the only thing separating Issei and a length of shining steel out to cleave his head clean from his shoulders. It snarled in anger, hurtling itself towards his defense, bearing down onto it even as Issei's eyes bulged in terror, dragging himself backwards to the ground and hitting the wood of the shrine.

The thing shook its head in annoyance, gnashing its teeth in rage, black wings ruffling in anger, the tips pointed at him, edges looking sharp enough to cut and tear, before once again throwing itself on the circle, giving Issei a sickening opportunity to observe it up close.

The thing was terrifying, looking like it was ripped straight out from a nightmare. A long, beak of a nose, looking sharp enough to cut. Blood red skin occasionally splattered with a streak of dried brown, bits flaking off on every movement. Huge muscled arms, biceps almost as wide across as Issei's waist, and arms that looked capable of pulverizing bone in its grip.

But it was the eyes that terrified him the most, beady, crimson red eyes that gazed down on him, full of hatred and sadistic malice, lips curled into a contemptuous sneer that showed off its fangs.

And Issei could see that there were another three right behind it, howls on their lips as they rushed across the shrine grounds, black wings flapping behind them almost eagerly, the very air around them singing their bloodlust.

Issei's breath began to grow more ragged, eyes twitching wildly, looking everywhere and anywhere for a way out even as the thing's blade- almost taller than Issei himself- hammered on his circle, looking both infuriated and conceited as he- did that thing even count as a he?- looked down on Issei's fallen form even as he scrambled to stand up.

Issei thought about how he was going to save his own ass, thinking back to the lessons Sona had drilled into him as well as the studies he had made by himself…..and all of it came up as a blank, mouth drying up when the thing slammed itself into his circle once more, jaws wide open in a vicious rictus of a grin. Issei heard a scream that he would later realize came from his own mouth and his arm groped for his choker, grasping around desperately for the button that would deactivate it, hands shaking but managing after what felt like an eternity.

Just as he finally managed to close his hand around the black band, all but ripping it on in his haste to click it off, a force just….fell over the area in front of him. It wasn't even physical, at least, not entirely. The best way Issei could describe it was as a psychic action except….that didn't quite fit either. He didn't even see anything happen with his ability. It was like….an imposition of will more than anything else, a forcing of a personal reality into the world, one where the beasts in front of him simply ceased to exist.

Issei stared with dilated eyes, breath ragged, heart pumping a million times a second, adrenaline still running wild in his body even as he hesitantly picked himself up from the ground, grabbing his crutch that had fallen to the ground, knees still wobbly, arms still shaking madly from terror.

"Ara, I'm sorry for that." A voice said apologetically, and Issei whirled around, arm coming up, his magic flowing to his fingertips only to find a woman blinking innocently at his reaction.

"There have been some annoying trespassers here in the last years but it's been a tedious job of taking out the vandalizers that comes up here. It's a bit of a chore, having to do this frequently." She added, almost sadly. "Though I guess I really should have to regularly clean up, just in case someone someone decides to visit my shrine. That was irresponsible of me." She walked over and began to sweep at the place where….whatever it was that attacked him just disappeared. "What brings you here?" She asked curiously.

Issei slowly lowered his arm, though he didn't really rein in his magic just yet, and observed the girl in front of him.

"Um, I was just, hoping for something to happen I guess?" Issei offered awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say after all that had just happened in the span of a half-minute, maybe even less.

"Would you like to talk about it?" She asked, tilting her head and bringing her broom close to her chest.

()()()()()()()()()

Now that there was no immediate threat to his person, Issei finally got the chance to observe the inside of the shrine, as well as the woman that had helped him without anything else to muddle his sights.

The shrine was very barebones, almost nothing in it except for the platform that housed a few scattered trinkets in and around its main main altar including one of those big drum things Issei never found out the name of, some tags, one of those long bead rosaries, a naginata set above the altar, and a wakizashi/katana pair as its centerpiece.

The only girl in the room, by contrast, was very beautiful, the picture-perfect older onee-san type, with light lilac hair and light amber eyes, and was dressed in a red and white miko attire.

"Tea?" She asked, coming over with a tray of two cups and laying it on the table between the two of them, steam rising above the cups.

"T-thanks." Issei muttered, reaching over to take one, glancing over at the woman in front of him out of the corner of his eye, and it wasn't for appreciating the eye candy. At least, not just for that. No matter how cautious he needed to be, Issei still was a teenage boy after all and he would admit that she was very pleasant to look at.

No, the woman, for all her demonstrated power- at least, Issei assumed it was her power that erased those things from existence- was showing up as a normal in his senses. Nothing like Sona or Rias', nothing like Ajuka Beelzebub's or even anything like Asia Argento's Sacred Gear! Just, for all intents and purposes, a normal woman sweeping the grounds of a shrine.

"What are you?" Issei blurted out, placing his cup back on top of the table. "I mean, what did you do to….whatever those things were?" He backtracked quickly, recognizing his faux pas and flushing his embarrassment.

Instead of being offended, the woman laughed, the sound like bells chiming on a lazy afternoon. "Ufufu, that was a youkai that attacked you, though they were part of the more unruly and distasteful ones out there. Don't worry, she's no threat to you or anyone anymore." She smiled, eyes taking on a more mischievous glint. "As for what I am….allow a woman some secrets would you?"

"A-ah….yeah." Issei muttered, a bit embarrassed by his slip. "Sorry. I'm Issei by the way. Hyoudou Issei."

"No need to apologize." She smiled. "And my name is Asama. So what are you here for?" She asked again, sounding a bit eager almost.

"Well…." Issei said, trying to clear up his thoughts. "I'm at a pretty confusing part of my life right now." Issei admitted, drinking his tea once again. "I'm a bit lost I guess, so I've been looking for a place to just...I don't know, get away from everything?"

"I would think that's pretty normal for a boy of your age." Asama smiled, offering him another platelet. "Rice biscuits?"

"Thank you." Issei said, taking one gratefully. "You think it's pretty normal?" He asked hesitantly. "Being confused I mean?"

"I would say so." The lavenderette nodded. "Teenagers are always so emotional and confused. Not all of them, there are some exceptions, one's who are older and more mature than their physical age, but mostly, teenagers are a confused bundle of hormones. Just….power through it I suppose. I'm sorry I'm not of much help." She finished glumly. "I've never really experienced that before, so I'm just running off on assumptions."

"No no, it's fine." Issei said, waving his hands. "You've done more than enough for me. I'm feeling okay now actually." He stood up, stretching lightly while Asama followed him up. "Thank you for everything. The tea was delicious." He added as an afterthought, grabbing his cane.

"You're leaving already?" She asked in a higher pitched voice than normal, then added, a bit too quickly almost. "You will be coming back right?"

Issei stared at her for a moment, a small epiphany hitting him. "How long has it been since you last talked to someone?" He asked somberly.

"...Was it really that obvious?" She pursed her lips, heaving a sigh. "It's been a while." She admitted. "A long while. A few decades I think, since I've last held a proper conversation with anyone else."

Issei's eyes widened. _'Decades? Without talking to ANYONE? That….that'd drive me crazy.'_ He thought, looking at her with new respect with a healthy amount of wariness, though her answer did raise new questions. _'How old_ is _she?'_

"Would….would you like me to accompany you?" Issei asked.

Asama slumped forward in almost-shame but gave him a grateful smile, one that was almost painful in its sincerity. "Only if you have the time of course, then I'd be grateful for the company. Even I wouldn't be as crass and thoughtless to force a man into giving up his life and future just to accompany a sad, old, lonely woman like me."

"No no! I'd love to!" Issei waved his hand reassuringly. "It's just, there's school and other things to worry about you know?"

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Asama asked curiously, smoothing down her kimono.

"Sixteen last April. Why?" Issei questioned, sipping at his tea.

"O-oh! It's just, it seemed the proper thing to ask as a conversation starter." Asama smiled goofily, taking a bite off of her biscuits. "It was what the humans did whenever they came to me. I never answered." She said, the smile turning a bit cheeky.

"Why not?"

"It's rude to ask a woman her age!" Asama turned her nose up at him, one eye open to peek at him.

"Now I'm really curious." Issei smiled, laying the cup down and making himself more comfortable. "Come on, I promise I won't tell."

"You need to try a lot harder than that to get an answer from me!" Asama laughed.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei sat in front of his desk, reading a book he had borrowed from the school library. More specifically, it was a book written in Italian.

He frowned, the words not making a smidgen of sense to him as it currently was. Clicking off the choker however….

 _In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost._

He clicked it on once again, and the numbers faded along with his comprehension of the poem. Issei let out a breath, leaning back against his chair, pushing the book away from him.

"How the hell did I suddenly learn Italian?" He wondered out loud, tracing the small rectangular box that was set into his choker. "Would it work on other languages?" He mused, a small grin appearing. "Maybe this time I'll finally ace English too."

The grin faded easily, turning into a contemplative expression as the image of a blade descending on him flashed back in his memories.. He looked down at his left hand, clenching and unclenching it and, with a small effort of will, created a small magic circle in being.

Issei observed it for a while, the circle lazily spinning clockwise before extending his arm and let a little more magic flow into the construct, the circle expanding to twice Issei's height. He clicked his choker off, and the numbers came flooding back.

He frowned, drawing his arm back and cutting off the connection, killing the magic circle.

"All this power," He muttered bitterly. "and I can't even save my own ass."

()()()()()()()()()

"Hyoudou-kun." Sona said, finishing up the papers on her table. "Are you free this coming break?"

"I think so. Why?" Issei asked, looking up from his notebook.

"Would you like to see the Underworld?" She asked him, back turned towards him.

Issei blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I've been meaning to introduce Reya and Tsubasa to my family." She explained, turning to face him. "And since you've been a good friend to me and my peerage, I would also like for you to be able to see the world we're a part of."

"O-Oh." Issei nodded hesitantly. "I….guess I have no objections to that. I'll ask permission from my parents, but I think they'll allow it."

"Thank you." Sona inclined her head at him. "If need be, I will personally come over and convince your parents to allow you to go."

"I don't think that's necessary." Issei said, giving a somewhat strained smile.

"I was speaking in hypothetical terms." Sona finished filing the papers away, tucking them into the drawer of her desk. "I'm done with the festival documents now. Tsubaki?"

"Just about done with mine." The Vice President said, still hunched over her desk. "Tsubasa? Reya?"

"Still doing it."

"I'm about done."

"Well, I still have somewhere to go guys, there's a convention going on at the mall." Issei said, grabbing at his cane and standing up and stuffing his stuff into his bag. "See you."

Issei left the room, straying over to where Matsuda and Motohama were waiting for him.

"You ready?" Matsuda asked when the two saw Issei, a steady crowd of students leaving the gate of school.

"Yeah. Let's go." Issei nodded, the trio reaching the gates of their prestigious school.

"I'm sorry, but I can't join you today. Perhaps another time?" A voice reached over to Issei who turned to see that the speaker was Kiba Yuuto, turning down yet another invitation from a girl, a few other hanging back and waiting for his answer. The girl nodded understandingly, if a bit disappointed, and returned to her group of friends.

As Kiba turned away, hitching up his bag and beginning his walk home, Issei felt, for a second, that for all his handsome looks and apparent fame, the so-hailed 'Prince of Kuoh' looked….lonely almost.

The moment passed, the ever-present smile back on Kiba's face, and he walked away turning his back to Issei so that he couldn't see his expression anymore.

As he pulled back behind Matsuda and Motohama., Issei stared at the blond's retreating back before shaking his head and catching up to his friends.

 _'Weird.'_ He thought, the image of Kiba standing out in his mind.

()()()()()()()()()

The next few weeks passed by in a blur, the school buzzing with activity as the teachers prepared their final exams for the semester while the students either relaxed, knowing that they could take it, or crammed, knowing that they weren't ready.

Issei, with the exception of history and a part of the english exam, found all of them surprisingly easy, and Motohama shared the sentiment. Matsuda however, didn't, and crammed everything in the syllabus of the class with the help of the other two.

After the finals week, Sona had finished all of her paperwork in almost record time and invited herself over to Issei's house to talk to his parents, despite his protests that it wasn't necessary.

The two of them found Sona adorable, momentarily putting a crack in her usual unflappable facade and making her flush in embarrassment as the two sang praises for her, Issei groaning at his parents' overreaction and mentally throwing apologies at the Student Council President.

Still, it got their permission and that was why Issei was where he was at right now.

"The train station?" Issei asked bemusedly, staring between the ticket dispenser and Sona.

The latter shrugged, handing him his ticket. "You cannot deny that it is a very efficient way of travelling."

"Still, you'd think that you could just teleport into the Underworld." Issei said, lifting his duffle bag to his shoulders. "Not stylish maybe, but faster definitely."

"There are problems to that." Sona pointed out, glancing at the watch on her wrist. "There are wards placed around most of the areas around the Underworld that act against transport circles, all of them designed by either Beelzebub-sama or Asmodeus-sama. If there weren't, then what would stop our enemies from suddenly appearing within our very own cities, with an army just behind them?"

Issei opened his mouth then closed it again. "I….haven't thought about that." He admitted, leaning against his crutch. "Huh, I guess that does make sense, what with two enemies and all."

"Exactly." Sona nodded. "Besides, with this system, it'll be easier to track who arrives when, and leaves at what station. It also gives the bureaucracy something else to do." She said, this time with a faint smile.

"But what if it's an emergency?" Reya asked, tilting her head to the side. "Like a medical emergency?"

"There are ways around that, mostly for exactly that purpose." Sona acknowledged. "Medical emergencies, news and reports of vital importance that can not wait until a later date. In special cases, transport circles transcribed in certain materials are provided to certain people when the higher ups deign that they need a way to go around the wards."

"Ehhh. That's nice." Tsubasa said blandly, sitting on a bench and kicking her legs around. "When's the train coming?" She complained, sitting up with the beginnings of, though not quite, a pout.

"Just be patient." Tsubaki sighed, glancing at her wristwatch herself. "I'm sure it'll be here any second no-"

"It's here." Sona said, laying a hand on her Queen's shoulder and looking pointedly at Tsubasa who looked away sheepishly. "Hyoudou-kun, let's go."

"O-okay." Issei nodded, slowly blowing out some air, approaching the platform and waited for the train that would lead all of them to Hell.

It was a bit strange, Issei thought, resisting the urge to turn off the choker as a rift just tore through existence and true enough, a train came rushing through the opening, looking almost exactly like the regular subway ones, though his attention was still on the gap between...dimensions? Realities? Issei didn't know what to call it, even as it closed up once the train had gotten through and Sona and the others had stepped into their carriage, him following suite.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Issei still wasn't quite used to the fact that he was going to a whole other dimension, separate from the world he's lived in for the past fifteen years.

It must have showed too, because Sona put down her book and got up from her seat, taking one right next to him.

"Are you nervous?" She asked him.

Issei took a deep breath, letting his head fall back against the cool glass of the window. "I guess I am." He admitted. "Just….wow, this is pretty big you know? Travelling between worlds and all. Just never thought I'd be a part of something like it."

"Well you are now." Sona said and visibly hesitated before patting his hand awkwardly. "You'd best get used to it."

"Haha. Thanks Kaichou." Issei said, looking down at his left hand, clenching and unclenching it. "I'm glad my first time's with you." He told her honestly. "I think I'd be pretty nervous to actually do something otherwise."

 _Thud._

The two of them blinked in unison, turning to see that Reya had dropped the novel she was reading, that Tsubasa was open-mouthedly staring at them, and that Tsubaki looked extraordinarily pleased if a bit surprised.

"What?" Issei asked, looking down at himself. "Is there something on me?"

"Nothing." Tsubaki said quickly, glaring at Tsubasa who was about to say something. "Nothing really."

"So-taannnn~!" A voice said in a singsong, coming from nowhere but echoing around the whole carriage.

Issei has personally never seen anyone's face turn that pale that quickly so far, but there was a first for everything.

"O-Onee-sama?! What are you doing here?!" She all but shrieked, jumping to her feet as the Leviathan rushed and wrapped her arms and feet around her little sister.

"To be with my beloved So-tan in this special day! So-tan's growing up so fast! She's already having first times with a boy! I'm so proud of you!" She squealed, hugging tighter and sending Sona's glasses askew. "But you have to make me your first priority okay!? Me! Your beloved Onee-sama!"

Issei stared at them for one moment, Sona's flushed face peeking out at them all, asking for anyone to save her from her older sister.

"W-Why do you know that?" Sona gasped out, trying desperately in vain to pry herself out of her sister's grasp. "Are you stalking me?!"

"Yes." Serafall said, blinking and tilting her head to the side. "Isn't that normal for older siblings?"

"No it's not!" Sona argued, looking to her companions for help. "Right?"

 _'I'm sorry Kaichou. You're on your own for now.'_ Issei thought, bowing his head for Sona and catching a glimpse of her betrayed expression as Leviathan continued to cry out dramatically. "Big sister's here to meet you! I wish you'd look happier than that!"

Tsubaki laid a hand on Issei's shoulder. "There are times when you must draw back from a fight. This is one of those times." She said, dead serious.

Issei looked back and forth from her and the sight of Sona arguing with the Leviathan that just didn't want to leave her alone. "I guess you're right."

()()()()()()()()()

"Mother, Father, these are my peerage, Tsubasa, my Rook, and Reya, my Bishop."

"Hello, I'm Tsubasa Yura. It's nice to meet the parents of my King."

"I-It's an honor to meet you two."

"And this is Hyoudou Issei, a budding magician and a friend as well as an associate in magic."

Issei bowed, sure that he fumbled it somehow and followed the previous two's lead. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sona….san has been a big help for my studies in magic."

"Oh, they're all so polite. I like them." Sona's mother said, clapping her hands lightly, a slight laugh to her voice.

Her husband by contrast, was unsmiling, a not quite glare turned up towards them. "They would still have to prove their worth to me if they're worthy of being under my daughter."

His wife bopped him on the head, breaking his image, and frowned. "They're family now, so don't go antagonizing them for no reason!"

"B-but-"

"No buts! Go back to our room and think about what you've done!" She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground.

"I'm the head of the Sitri house, why am I being manhandled like this?" He muttered, stomping off towards the hallway.

"Because I'm your wife." She answered his retreating back by way of explanation.

"I don't know who I'm more scared of, Kaichou's father or her mother." Issei muttered towards Tsubaki who smiled in response.

"Just stay on her good side and you're golden." She whispered off the side of her mouth.

"Oh, Surya's a big softie at heart." Sona's mother waved off his concern, apparently overhearing the short conversation. "He's just overprotective of Sona over here." She approached her daughter who was sitting stiffly at her chair, and hugged her from behind, laying her chin on the top of the Sitri Heiresses head. "Isn't she just the cutest?"

"Mother!" Sona made her displeasure known, cheeks blushing as she tried in vain to get rid of the arms around her shoulders. "Please!" She said, almost pleadingly.

She laughed one last time, ruffling Sona's hair and standing up.

"It was very nice to meet you all. Tsubasa, Reya, Issei. I'm Seryna Sitri. Now if you've please let me, I still have a husband to console."

Issei watched her go before turning to Sona. "Wow…."

"I know." She said with a sigh. "You don't have to tell me."

"I think I understand your older sister a little bit better now." Issei said with a grin.

Reya gave a giggle even as Sona facepalmed.

()()()()()()()()()

"This is the guest room where you'll be staying." Sona said, opening the door and leading him through.

"Your guestroom is the size of my house." Issei deadpanned, giving the room a once over, and taking note of the noteworthy pieces such as the bed nearly the size of his entire room, the chandelier of what appears to be made out of crystals, and- "Do you really have a refrigerator in every one of your rooms?" He asked for confirmation, looking at the thing that was a foot taller than him. "It feels more like a house than a room." He muttered, taking a look at a walk-in pantry situated in the room.

"My parents designed this house and made sure that each room could stand up against a siege." Sona informed him, running a hand across the marble tabletop. "Though I do admit, I find it a bit ostentatious at times."

"A bit?" Issei rose an eyebrow, snagging a cup that looked he had no doubt was very expensive, probably worth his allowance for a whole month. Or a year, he amended to himself, remembering the state of the room he was in and placing it back down at the realization.

"Yes." Sona nodded and then seemed to hesitate. "Hyoudou-kun, there is an upcoming soiree in my very own home this coming weekend, and I would like for you to come."

"Are you sure?" He asked skeptically, looking down at himself. "I'm not exactly what you would call a high-class person you know."

"It isn't that big," Sona assured him. "Just a few family friends, Rias and some other heirs, though I expect that some of the Maous would make an appearance. Besides," She added. "this could be an opportunity for you to make some connections within the Devil circle. Networking is a pretty important part of being a magician."

"Well, if you're sure that you want me there, then I'll go." Issei shrugged. "Not like I have a lot to do here in the Underworld." He joked. "I don't exactly know where some tourist spots are."

"I'll take you to some of them." She said with a smile. "Tsubasa and Reya too. It'll be good for you all to see what the Underworld has to offer."

"You think so?" Issei asked, already collapsing on the bed, groaning at the soft mattress which he all but sank in to.

"Yes. I'm sure you would appreciate some books on magic written by Beelzebub-sama, Asmodeus-sama and even Mephistopheles-sama. They are enlightening, if very complex books on the subject matter."

"They got any figurines?" He asked, voice muffled as he snuggled deeper into the bed's pillows and comforter.

"I'm….sure they have them." She admitted grudgingly. "They stock them in bookstores and specialty shops across the whole Underworld."

"Crap." Issei said, lifting his face up. "I forgot one thing."

"What is it?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow, laying a hand on the cup Issei had picked up.

"I don't have any money."

"..."

"..."

"I'll lend you some later." Sona sighed, heading towards the door. "Get some rest Hyoudou-kun."

"Bye Kaichou." Issei waved, letting his head fall back into the bed. "I wish I had a bed like this…."

()()()()()()()()()

"Stupid tie." Issei tugged at his collar irritably for what was probably the hundredth time that day. Issei blamed Sona for that. She had never told him that the party was a formal event, and that it was required for him to wear a suit and tie.

It didn't help that he barely knew anyone in the party, leaving him sitting awkwardly on one of the tables by the corner of the room all while she roamed around to talk to what looked like everyone that was invited, a requirement for the heiress of one of the '72 clans' which was apparently a big thing in the Underworld.

"Uncomfortable?" A voice asked, and Issei looked up from his feud against the noose around his neck to see Kiba Yuuto smiling down at him, perfectly at ease with his own snow-white suit. "It happens." He continued, laying a hand on the back of the seat beside him. "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead." Issei nodded, before scowling and giving up on the tie, leaving it rumpled and askew. "Screw it."

"It isn't made properly." Kiba explained, reaching over and taking off the knot with smoothly agile fingers. "Here, let me."

"Uh, thanks?" Issei offered, seeing from the corner of his eye a couple of girls stopping what they were doing and was looking at the two of them with a very strange expression on their faces. If Issei didn't know any better, he would say that they looked similar to-

 _'Don't go there Issei.'_ Issei told himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, deciding for the sake of his health to ignore what was going on around him. _'Don't go there.'_

"All done." Kiba announced, leaning back against his chair. "There, that should be a bit less suffocating."

Issei blinked, and looked down. "It is. Thanks for that. I think I was just a few minutes away from just giving up and going back to bed."

Kiba laughed, a smile in place. "Haha, same."

"Bullshit. A bishounen like you leaving a party? Weren't you having fun with the girls here?" Issei snorted. Indeed, every time he had caught a glimpse of the blond, he was dancing with a girl, and a different one every time too.

"It's exhausting." Kiba admitted, a slump to his usually graceful form. "And….well….I don't really enjoy things such as this."

Issei blinked at that. "What? Seriously? Why?" While Issei really didn't announce his perversion to the world, he was still a teenage boy, and he just _knew_ he'd enjoy attention from girls, especially ones as cute and beautiful as the ones present in room.

"It gets old quickly, getting fawned over like this. School's the same too, except worse. At least here in the Underworld we're all devils, but up there….well, I've never been in a relationship, but I'd much prefer having to keep no secrets from whoever it is I end up with. Much simpler that way." Kiba said in a rush, and to Issei, it seemed like he was waiting a long time to be able to get it off his chest. "And….well, I've never really had close friends you know? Girls fighting over me, guys getting jealous of my getting their attention….. Never really had a best friend. I thought that would change when I meet some devils but it's still the same." Here, there was a trace of almost bitterness in his voice. "Still the same. Girls are still chasing after me, left and right. I wanted someone to call a friend, they wanted a boytoy, a boyfriend, a fling. Just….I know it might seem petty to a lot of people, but it's still frustrating to me." Kiba muttered, running an aggravated hand across his hair.

"What about Gremory-senpai and Himejima-senpai?" Issei asked hesitantly.

"They're great people." Kiba hurried to reassure him. "Just….they're not exactly what I'm looking for. Hell, I don't know what I'm looking for." He suddenly laughed, startling Issei even as Kiba pressed a palm to his eye. "I must seem like such a madman to you."

"Most everyone is mad here." Issei said slowly, remembering the quote from a movie Matsuda had strong armed him and Motohama to watch. "I don't know." He admitted when Kiba turned to look at him in confusion. "Just, be yourself I guess?"

"You think I haven't tried that?" He said, scathingly sardonic and so out of character that Issei was taken aback. "I've tried to be myself a hundred times now. I changed who I am probably a hundred times. Things never changed. Never, not for me."

Issei didn't have an answer for that one, not really.

A round of excited chattering suddenly erupted across the main ballroom as, through the wide open doors, a pair walked into the party, quite a few approaching the one in the lead.

"Sirzechs Lucifer-sama." Kiba told Issei, standing up, any sign of their previous conversation disappearing. "Buchou's older brother. He's also the one of the Maou of the Underworld, the Lucifer." He added when Issei still seemed a bit lost.

Issei nodded distractedly, one hand coming up to idly trace the edge of his choker. He's seen Ajuka and Serafall already and he had to admit, he was curious about the Lucifer who, from his limited knowledge of their race, was like the boss of the Underworld or something.

Issei nodded subtly to both himself and Sona as the latter approached both him and Kiba from where she had gone to talk to a girl that looked around her age with pale green-ish hair and was wearing very conservative clothing, which, Issei privately thought, was a shame.

 _'Might as well make it three for three.'_ He thought, curiosity getting the better off him and, with a click, turned the choker off.

The sudden influx of numbers that he had always associated with the actions didn't overwhelm him, not anymore at least, as had gotten used to the visual overload. He took only a few seconds to fix himself up, mentally pushing the numbers away from the crowd that had gathered around Sirzechs Lucifer and looked upon the man himself.

His core was terrifying.

At Sirzechs Lucifer's core was probably the densest collection of numbers Issei has ever seen, all but glowing in power, vibrating at a ridiculously high speed that a small part of Issei was surprised that the man didn't spontaneously combust or evaporate or simply just get ground into dust.

A larger part of him however, was more concerned with the fact that those numbers fucking erased matter from existence. It wasn't anything like simple breakdown of complex objects into baser materials. The numbers in his core literally fucking ate at anything that came into contact with it, almost violently tearing existence apart.

The thing suddenly paused, ignoring the group around him and staring straight into Issei's eyes.

Then, it did what was quite possibly the worst thing so far, something that terrified Issei.

It.

Smiled.

The thing that called itself Sirzechs Lucifer had tilted its head, smiling at him, even raising a hand to wave at him as if in politeness.

Issei slammed his hands on the table, the chair scraping against the ground but was mostly ignored as everyone else enjoyed the party.

"H-Hyoudou-kun? What are you doing?" Sona asked in surprise, flinching back minutely.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get out of here." He muttered, grabbing at his crutch and walking as quickly as he could to the exit, refusing to look at the Devil's general direction again, free hand shaking as he clicked the choker back on.

"What? Hyoudou-kun? Hyoudou kun?!" Sona asked his retreating back, looking around as if to see whether she could follow him. Issei knew that she wouldn't, couldn't follow. It would be ridiculously rude not to mention would set off a very distasteful message if she, the daughter of the hosts of the party, were to leave the venue.

"I'm sorry." He repeated one more time, forcing the words through clenched teeth even knowing she wouldn't hear him.

He moved aimlessly, slumping down against a wall once he managed to exhaust himself.

"Ajuka-san." He said out loud to the empty hallway, looking down. "I know you're there."

Silence answered him, and for a few moments, Issei actually thought if he was just feeling things before the muffled sound of leather shoes against velvet carpets reached him, the feet stopping just a few feet shy from here.

"Oh? How did you know I was here?" Ajuka asked lazily.

"I just did." Issei muttered. "Could you make me a circle to go back home?"

Ajuka actually paused at that, looking at him searchingly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Issei answered before he actually finished the question.

"Well….If that's your decision, I guess I could help you in that."

Issei closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against his knees.

 _'That….that shouldn't be possible._

 _How can something like that exist in the world?'_

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Asama's my first ever OC so tell me if I did anything wrong, cause I'm pretty sure I have somewhere even if it was only one scene.**

 **Nothing else to say really, few things of note happened. RWBY got dark, DxD's new volume still isn't fully translated, gravity waves got detected.**

 **Reviews are both helpful and appreciated.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"Onii-sama, I want her!" Rias tugged at her older brother's coat, pointing at the catgirl on the execution stage. "She's so cute, and she's a shiny too!"

"OF COURSE MY RIAS!" Sirzechs hollered, wiping at the tears running down his cheek. "Stop the execution! My beloved little sister wants to take that girl under her wing! Isn't she just perfect?!"

Grayfia sighed, rubbing at her temples.

 _'Why did I marry this idiot?'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

"I just don't understand! How is something like that possible!" Issei complained, pacing around the table where Asama sat, calmly sipping at her tea. "I mean, it's just….what the hell is he!?"

"I haven't the slightest clue." Asama told him mildly, putting her cup down with dainty fingers. "Though if the one you're talking about is the one that comes to my mind, then I might have a better idea of what he's done. I _would_ appreciate some context though."

"It's not _what_ he's done." Issei sighed, sitting down in front of the table across the….maiden? Issei didn't really ask her just what her role was in the shrine. "It's just...You wouldn't understand." He blew out his breath, laying down on the wooden flooring, arms spread eagle to his side.

"Then enlighten me." Asama quirked a smile at him. "Keep it simple, Issei-kun. It doesn't really _need_ to be complicated. Most problems are just being made into a bigger issue than it really is, specially in the case of you humans. Always so emotional." She gave a small laugh, pouring tea into a cup and pushing it across the table. "Drink this. Burdens become smaller when shared with a caring ear over a cup of tea."

Issei nodded, still on his back, before slowly sitting up, a frown on his face. "Well….I guess that makes sense." He admitted, taking the proffered cup.

"There's nothing tea and company can't fix." Asama told him wisely. "Now, speak your mind."

"You really like tea." Issei said absently.

Asama sighed. "Not what I was really hoping for I admit."

Issei shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Well, I maybe should have explained something earlier." Issei pointed to the choker around his neck, more specifically, at the rectangular box set into it. "This'll sound weird, but I can actually _see_ numbers everywhere."

"Oh?" Asama blinked curiously. "What does it mean?"

"Science-y stuff mostly." Issei shrugged. "Physics, Chemistry, that sort of thing."

"Ahh..." Asama nodded in understanding. "I understand. The studies you humans use to quantify that which you don't understand. It's admirable really, the efforts you go through to understand the world around us."

"...Okay?" Issei said slowly, looking at her weirdly before continuing. "It means that I see the values and nature of people in a numerical value."

"I expected that from what you have said." Asama made a for him to go on.

"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that Sirzechs Lucifer's pretty terrifying." Issei admitted, leaning his head against the warm porcelain of the cup. "I didn't really expect to see something like that at a party."

"A party? Where?" Asama questioned him, sipping at her cup before frowning at it. She took ahold of the pot and refilled her tea.

"In the Underworld. Kaichou, um, I mean, Sona Sitri invited me over to her place as a guest to the party." Issei muttered in embarrassment, remembering the fact that he kind of walked out on the party she brought him to.

"Did you walk out on it?" Asama asked him, looking at his expression suspiciously. "You look awfully guilty. You did, didn't you?"

"Gurk." Issei flinched at the correct accusation, slumping down and making his form as small as he could. "Maybe? A bit?" He held out his hands, index finger and thumb spread a small distance away from each other.

"Issei-kun, you really have to learn about discretion." Asama sighed. "Alerting a higher being to your alarm isn't what you would call a wise course of action. A hint of weakness is all what a predator needs before they strike its chosen prey. Thankfully, I have met Sirzechs Lucifer on a few occasions, and he's a good person, if a bit…...eccentric." She hesitated for a brief while, choosing her words carefully at the end.

"So you think I overreacted?" Issei frowned, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, but in this case, I'd say you might have let your emotions get the best of you." Asama told him apologetically.

"Well…...shit." Issei summed up with a grimace. "I'm gonna have to apologize to Kaichou aren't I?"

"It's an ungentlemanly thing to do, leaving a party you've been invited to without a proper excuse." Asama nodded. "Sona Sitri deserves a heartfelt apology from you."

"I guess so." Issei nibbled on his thumbnail. "It's still a few more days till she comes back though. She'll be pissed at me."

"It happens." Asama said sympathetically. "You just have to shrug it off and learn from the experience. After all-" She frowned, neck snapping to the entrance of the shrine, eyes narrowed to near-slits. "I'm sorry for the interruption Issei-kun, but please excuse me. There is trash that has wandered into my territory it seems. Ignorant fools that do not know when and where they are not welcome." There was a scowl set in her expression, lips thinned white.

"What's that?" Issei asked, slowly reaching for his cane and dragging himself upright.

"Something you need not worry yourself about Issei-kun." Asama assured, plucking her broom from where it lay on the wall by the side of the doorway. "Just an unfortunate hitch in an otherwise fine day."

Despite her words, she made no move to stop him as he followed her outside the temple, making sure to stay behind the maiden all the while and keeping to the shrine's porch when Asama had walked down to the grounds, coming face to face with what looked like a cross between a giant spider, a woman, and the stuff of nightmares. She was wearing a kimono, which Issei really should be thankful for, as it hid the worst from him, six spider legs coming out from the openings of the clothing, though it did nothing to conceal her face, which was pretty unsettling to look at, her mouth containing mandibles, the same growths coming out from the side of her face.

Issei heard Asama heave a sigh, shoulder rising and falling at the action, gripping at her broom with both hands. "So annoying."

She walked closer, unheeding of the fact that thing in front had bared its teeth at her, though Issei noticed that it actually drew back once Asama got more than a couple of feet away from the shrine itself.

"Disappear." She said carelessly, moving towards her with an easy, almost arrogant even, grace. She waved a hand off, the action made as if to shoo a fly away.

Issei held his breath, watching as the thing snarled and threw itself at Asama who had never stopped her pace.

A hair's breadth before the thing's claws stabbed at the shrine maiden's eye, something just came _over_ the place.

' _Just like last time.'_ Issei thought back to the first time he had visited, hands resting on his choker, thumb tracing the switch. He watched as his new friend swept at the place the spider-woman thing had been on, a frown firmly in place. _'What's going on?'_ Issei thought that maybe, just maybe, he was in over his head.

"H-Hey." He called out to her hesitantly, looking at the ground and feeling the woman's gaze on him.

"Yes Issei-kun?"

"Could you, maybe you could help me in my magic?" Issei asked nervously, rubbing at the back of his head.

Asama blinked at him, any possible remains of her attacker forgotten. "Of course. I'd be glad to be of help, but may I ask why? You seem to be a prodigy at using magic."

"I'm just, well," Issei took a deep breath, closing his eyes and telling himself that he had to do it. "I don't ever want to be that helpless again. I know that I'm weak, I know that more than anything else," His hands clenched around the handle of his crutch, remembering the times when even even _walking_ had tired him out, those pity-filled glances from his classmates when they thought he wasn't looking, some teacher's downright condescending tone they take whenever they talked to him as if he was just a fucking kid, someone to fucking take care of twenty-four hours a day. "I want to be strong. I don't want to rely on others. Not anymore. I want to stand on my own." He looked at her sharply, meeting her gaze fearlessly and, for a single half-second, she started, free hand quickly reaching for the broom she held.

"I see." She murmured quietly, the words barely reaching him. "It seems you can surprise me yet Issei-kun. But I'm afraid I cannot help you, not for that."

The cripple grit his teeth, left hand shaking, nails digging deep into his palm, looking down at the ground, unwilling to let Asama see his expression.

"The only one who can help you," A hand touched his chin, gently raising his head to once again meet the eyes of Asama, a soft smile on her lips. "the only one who can help you, is yourself Issei-kun." Asama hummed, tilting her head even as her finger tapped at her chin. "Though speaking honestly, you're not really weak Issei-kun, more…inexperienced. Yes, that sounds right. Someone as young as you are, you lack the real world experience most have when faced with someone ready and able to kill you. Honestly, that's part of this age's charm I think, being able to live freely without the fear of dying hanging over your neck. But, if you really do want to be able to defend yourself, then I'd be more than willing to do my part."

"Thank you so much Asama-oneesama!" Issei said, bowing low to her, unable to keep the wide grin from forming. With this, maybe he'd finally a hero like the ones he's always wanted to become since his childhood!

"...Onee-sama?" Asama tilted her head, looking at him with a quizzical, though not unhappy, smile.

Issei cleared his throat in embarrassment. "It just came out?"

()()()()()()()()()

"Are you sure this is the correct way to do it?" Issei asked, voice pitched half an octave higher than normal, glancing back over his shoulder towards Asama desperately.

"No better way than to dive right in." She called out cheerfully. "Now go on, and don't worry. I'm here to make sure you don't die!"

' _THAT DOESN'T SOUND REASSURING AT ALL!'_ He screamed in his mind, looking to his front to see that the wolf-like thing that Asama had decided to pit him against was now stalking around him, circling his form, each step bringing it just a little bit closer, teeth bared, claws effortlessly digging into the ground with every step. "What do I do?!"

"Your best!" Asama answered with the same cheer.

"THAT DOESN'T HELP ONE BIT!" Issei yelled just as the thing's powerful legs sprung forward, an unbelievable amount of force launching its mass across the distance between them in the blink of an eye. "CRAP!" Issei threw his arm forward, creating his magic circle, taking an instinctive step backwards when the wolf rammed into it, going on its hind legs and pawing and clawing at the circle for a few seconds, giving one last snarl before it pushed itself off, trying to going around him, snout raised and eyes glaring up at his throat.

"Issei-kun! Don't just stand there and take it! Be more proactive! Go on the offensive to win!"

' _I'm trying!'_ Issei thought, crutch gripped in hand. _'Wait, maybe that'll work!'_ He thrust his left arm in the direction of the wolf-thing, forcing his will to run from his core down to his fingertips. A construct formed, a sharp, three-pointed polygon contained within a double layer of magic containing it, the outer ring rotating counterclockwise.

A lance of pure force blasted from his outstretched hand, gouging out pieces of earth, dust kicking up in clouds even as the wolf itself caught the whole brunt of the assault, striking it cleanly against the point where shoulder met head.

It didn't kill it, which was something Issei privately cursed at, if something he expected, and expended more of his power, creating another construct underneath it even as the wolf shook its head furiously, this one having seven points, outer circle turning clockwise.

The wolf crouched low and was, abruptly, suddenly slammed down against the ground, claws looking for a purchase to stand.

"That's the way Issei-kun! Keep at it!" Issei heard Asama tell at him from somewhere to the side, though the one that grabbed his attention was the more urgent matter of the wolf lunging at him, somehow managing to free itself from his circle that was made with the purpose of doubling the gravity inside its circumference.

Issei stood his ground, trying not to notice just how fast his heart was beating in his chest, how much his knees and hands shook, and focused on the _power_ that was his to command.

A circle formed on the ground in front of him, the most elaborate one by far, a total of nine points divided amongst three triangles, all of them a shade of bright crimson, constrained by a simple white band, and the moment the wolf had entered its confines, the circle flared its color, for a short moment, being so bright that it was almost painful to look at. The back of Issei's left hand suddenly spasmed, a brief flash of pain before being forgotten quickly as the light faded and Issei approached cautiously, the image of the circle in his mind, a single mental command away from forming even as his breathing grew heavy from the exertion of the effort

It was ultimately unused as the animal was now bound, body stuck to the ground, cuffs of earth wrapped around each of its forelegs and snout, each one powered by a glowing sigil of a simple triangle, Issei's magic flowing through it, though he knew that it would run out within a few minutes or so. Though he had made it as efficient as he could, juicing up a constraint spell was still a _bitch_ to maintain.

' _I should really study about runes next.'_ Was the idle thought that came, even as he cautiously stayed away from the wolf, hesitant to come any further.

"Very good Issei-kun." Asama clapped lightly, coming to stand next to him. "Though, with things like this, you have to finish them off before they do any more damage."

"A-are you sure? Isn't it harmless now?" He asked hesitantly, looking at the futile struggles of the wolf that had just tried to kill him. Now, having the chance to observe it closely, it was actually pretty majestic-looking, snow-white fur matted by dirt and dust but was no doubt beautiful underneath all that, powerful looking limbs, lithe and dangerous and red eyes that looked very impressive.

Seeing all that graceful force, all that savage elegance being forced into submission seemed almost…wrong, sad, depressing even.

"No it's not." Asama shook her head, laying a hand on the wolf and the thing stopped moving as if accepting its fate, seeming to almost bow its head even. "Things like these are always, _always,_ dangerous. Be sure to remember that Issei-kun, or you'll never make that mistake again."

For the third time, Issei witnessed Asama's power at work, the wolf being _erased_ from existence, leaving nothing in its wake, the third time yet and he _still_ couldn't quite understand how she does it.

"Now, go back inside the shrine Issei-kun, I'll be with you in a moment. I just have to clean this up a bit." She indicated towards the grounds, smiling at him pleasantly, ever-present broom close at hand.

"W-well, if you say so." He said hesitantly, giving her one last look before going inside, seating himself in front of the usual table. The only table really, there really wasn't much the shrine had in way of amenities, and it took a bit getting used to sitting on the floor. He tried doing it the prim and proper way, sitting on his knees, but it was a bit uncomfortable owing to his injury and all, so he just sprawled on the floor.

"Hello Issei-kun." The lavenderette greeted politely, taking off her geta and replacing them with indoor shoes.

"Asama-oneesama, how'd I do?" Issei asked her, adrenaline still in his system and he leaned forward in curiosity of her answer.

"Hmm." Asama pondered, putting a finger to her lips. "four out of ten."

"W-what?! Only four?" Issei's jaw dropped, thoughts about his awesomeness being broken by her blunt reply. "Why?!"

"Well, it would be a five, but you were kind of a scaredy-cat at first, so that was a deduction." Asama shrugged one elegant shoulder. "And, though you may have defeated it in three spells, that's still far too much for a magician like you. You should have managed to do it in one spell."

"O-only one spell?" Issei repeated weakly, remembering how much effort he'd put into his circles, almost enough to halve his reserves really.

"What's more, you were remarkable in your being indecisive. You should have controlled the battle from the get-go, not be a sitting duck waiting for what happens. Remember Issei-kun, you are a magician, not a brawler. You are not, and should never be the type to take a punch for every one you give. You must be able to _end_ a fight decisively in as few moves as possible, using as little magic as possible. Those seals you've used were also inefficient. Runes would have been a far better choice, a fehu rune for the circulation of power perhaps, or a nauthiz for constraint. Also, you should have..."

For every word Asama spoke, Issei winced, sinking lower into his seat even as his head bowed in embarrassment at his flaws being so meticulously listed out. In almost-excruciating detail.

"...but still, commendable enough for a first try." Asama stopped, looking at him with something akin to pride. "Good job Issei-kun."

Issei looked up at her, saw her smile and her eyes shine and returned it with a grin. "Thank you Asama-oneesama."

"Of course." She replied easily. "Think nothing of it. It's the job of the onee-sama to take care of our useless younger brothers isn't it?" She reached out and flicked at his nose gently to show that she meant no harm. "Besides, I like being of help to people. It feels nice. Now, tell me about this internet of yours. It sounds interesting."

()()()()()()()()()

Issei stood in front of the gates of Kuoh Academy, more nervous than he had been during the opening of classes, staying in his spot for the past five minutes and garnering some weirded out looks from his fellow students.

Still, it _was_ a bit justified, at least for him anyway, since he kind of _did_ run out of Sona's party without any explanation after being personally invited.

"Hey Issei, what'cha doing?" A singsong voice called out from his side.

He turned to see Matsuda grinning at him with Motohama in tow, yawning and generally looking like he wanted to be passed out in bed rather than going to school.

"Nothing much. What about you? You look pretty happy." Issei observed, pushing the matter off his mind. It's not like it'd come out sooner or later.

"Funny story." Matsuda grinned, the three of them heading towards their building. "I managed to get into the Photography club!"

"Seriously? I mean, congrats. How'd that happen?" Issei asked.

"Well, I was practicing taking photos of the school for this competition in this website that's looking for pictures of schools and they were there too, so now I have a club!" He told his story excitedly.

"Isn't it past the period to join clubs?" Issei frowned, opening the door to their classroom and settling in on their seats.

"Well….kind of, but I'm still a member now! It'll be official next year."

"Yayy." Motohama yawned, laying his head down on his table. "Good for you. Oh right, I have brought gifts for you," He reached down and grabbed something from his bag, voice a monotone of fatigue. "come and worship me, lay down by my feet peasants, so that you may feel the grace of gods. God I'm tired." He muttered, halfheartedly raising his arms halfway to Issei's table. The latter, with a sympathetic smile, took the wrapped gifts from him and throwing one over to Matsuda who caught it easily.

"What's this?" Issei asked, shaking the box slightly.

"Japanese pickles." Motohama said, voice muffled against his table, offering no more than that.

"Thanks." Issei said, shutting up when the teacher made an appearance.

"Hello class. I have no doubt you're all still getting used to school again from vacation." He gave a pointed glance at Motohama's collapsed head. "So let's take this a bit easier than usual. Let's start with some basic reviews on…."

Issei tuned him out, continued to tune out every other teacher he had, had gone through recess and lunch with the same listlessness and finally, without being prepared for it, had found himself standing in front of the room of the student council.

It's been a full five minutes and he still hasn't moved, just staring at the door.

Every time he had made an attempt to move in, he just held himself back and he just ended up looking like an idiot, even he realized that.

"Issei-kun?"

He gave a start, looking to the side to see Reya gazing at him with a curious look.

"What are you doing out he- oh…" She trailed off awkwardly, remembering the last time they had seen each other. "Well...I'm sure she's not mad." Reya assured him.

Issei sighed, leaning against the wall opposite the door. "It's not that what I'm worried about." He mumbled. "It's just...I mean, I ran out on her. How can I face her after that?"

"So Issei-kun's also the type to get embarrassed about his mistakes huh?" She said, moving to stand beside him and reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry though, I'm sure Kaichou's the type to try and understand the situation before making a judgment. Come in and explain, and I'm sure she'll forgive you if there's even anything to forgive."

Issei watched as Reya smiled at him and went inside the Student Council room, making sure to open the door such that he won't be seen by anyone from the inside. He let out a little laugh, shaking his head. "Right, no need for self-pity. Get on with it like a man."

He opened the door without any more hesitation, prepared for the worst. "Hi everyone."

Sona looked up from her paperwork, before taking a stack from her table and handing it to Issei. "Ah, good. Hyoudou-kun, if you will, please finish that for me."

Issei blinked, taking the papers with a nonplussed expression. "Um, aren't you angry at me for the party?"

Sona sighed, capping her pen and looking at him straight in the eye. "I admit, I was very much mad at you at first. Walking out in the middle of my own parents' party when I invited you personally, both for the event and as a guest in my house did not do me any good. However, I thought things through, and I came to the conclusion that you must have had a _very_ good reason for doing so." Sona finished, looking at him and fixing her glasses. "Am I right?"

"Actually…" Issei coughed. "In hindsight, I _may_ have just overreacted to something that really isn't all that reaction-worthy. Sorry?" He offered when Sona rubbed at her temples. Out of the corner of his eye, Issei could spot Tsubaki facepalming at him.

"Hey everyone." Tsubasa said, coming in through the door. "What's going on?" She asked when no one answered.

"Just… Did you look into Momo Hanakai and Tomoe Meguri like I asked you to?" Sona asked Tsubasa, studiously ignoring Issei.

"Is she giving me the silent treatment?" He asked Tsubaki incredulously. The latter looked at him and, very slowly, deliberately, turned away from him, an almost smirk on her face.

"You too?" Issei sighed. "Well, at least I have Reya-san, right?"

The aforementioned girl started, looking between Issei and Tsubaki and then slowly, with crimson dusting her cheeks, went to the book she held.

"Wow." Issei blinked, begrudgingly impressed in spite of himself. "Well played student council. Well played."

"What did you do over the break anyways?" Tsubasa asked, either not knowing of the joke or, more likely, curiosity overriding the gag.

"Went to a shrine." He said carelessly, opening his notebook and almost missing the sudden flash in Sona's gaze. "Practiced magic there. Nothing serious."

"Did you find anything interesting?" Reya held down her book in order to look at him.

"Yeah." Issei's lips twitched. "I guess you could say that." He grabbed at a bottle of milk tea in his bag and uncapped the top.

"Hyoudou-kun, would you happen to have met Asama-san?" Sona asked cautiously.

Issei coughed, the tea going down the wrong pipe. He pounded at his chest for a few moments, looking up weakly when he was sure he wasn't going to die anymore. "So you know her?"

"Yes." Sona nodded. "Only by her reputation as the diplomat between the youkai and the devils, but I've been meaning to talk to her as the official holder of Kuoh Town. I will inform Rias of this. Please, the next time you visit her, tell me of it and I'll arrange for a meeting between us."

"Actually," Issei scratched at his cheek, turning away. "I'm going to meet with her tomorrow."

"..." Sona just stared at Issei accusingly.

"Sorry?"

()()()()()()()()()

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Issei asked, looking at Sona nervously. "I mean, you've looked over her the past...how many ever years you've been here, I'm sure you could ignore her for a few more years."

"Give it up Issei-kun." Rias shook her head with a bemused smile. "Sona can be surprisingly stubborn when you give her the proper motivation."

"I do not like having unknowns in the place my own parents have given me responsibility over." Sona frowned harshly. "In fact, I believe you're treating this far too cavalierly for your own good."

"And you're treating it too seriously for yours." Rias rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. "Sona, Onii-sama and Serafall-sama told us about Asama-san the moment we were decided to hold Kuoh, one of the first things they told us about even. If it were an issue, then they would have said so."

"Onee-sama isn't really what you would call...responsible." Sona chose her words carefully. "Neither is Sirzechs-sama now that I think about it. No offense." She tacked on hastily to which Rias just sighed theatrically.

"I know better than anyone else about that last one. Well, maybe Grayfia-san, but she's his wife so it doesn't count."

"He has a wife?" Issei asked with a complicated expression, remembering the story the numbers have told him and imagining the person it attached itself to having sex. _'What was he like as a baby?'_ Was the random question that thought process lead him to.

"Grayfia-sama and Sirzechs-sama's love story is said to be the most romantic in the history of the Underworld. They even have a play attributed to them. Two lovers across different sides, battling each other and, in the end, finding solace in each other's arms as the war finally ends and peace reigns." Akeno sighed happily. "Such a wonderful story."

"Oh, there's going to be another showing in the Agreas Capitol Theater next week." Tsubaki remembered, perking up. "Kaichou, let's watch it and show Reya and Tsubasa what the Underworld considers as entertainment."

"Ooh ooh, I want to see it!" Reya said excitedly, letting her fondness for romance stories show. "Let's watch it please Kaichou?"

"Hahaha. Hearing things like that makes me all fired up to see it too Buchou." Kiba said with a good-humored grin.

"Are you saying that you want to watch it?" The redhead asked, amused at her knight's words.

"I wouldn't say no." Kiba shrugged innocently.

"Fine then. You too then Koneko-chan?"

The tiny slip of a girl that Issei's never seen before nodded stoically before returning to chomping on her chocolate and popping in another. And another. And another. She ate fast for a middle-schooler, going by her clothes. And she was cute too, snow-white hair, amber eyes. All she needed were some cat ears and she'd be perfect.

' _Woah.'_ Issei blinked. _'Since when was_ I _the lolicon in our group? I always thought Matsuda was the one to be into that.'_

For some reason, as if she could read his mind, the girl named Koneko stopped her munching and glared at him.

"W-What did I do?" Issei squeaked, instinctively bringing his magic circle to the front of his mind.

"Nothing." She muttered, looking back down. "I just suddenly felt the need to punch you."

"W-we're here." Issei said as a means of moving away from that particular brand of conversation.

"I can see that." Sona said tersely.

"No need to be so tense Sona." Rias sighed. "This is just a talk, not a declaration of war."

They started up the stairs, the torii coming into sight quickly enough, and Issei, judging by the time of the day, had assumed that Asama would have been sweeping the front part of her shrine as was her usual habit.

This time however, she wasn't going through the motions, but was sitting on her knees, eyes closed peacefully even as their group's footsteps faded into the breeze that just so happened to come by, Asama's hair gently following the breeze.

If Issei didn't know any better, he would have assumed that last one was intentional. Actually, he _knew_ that was intentional. Asama, for all her maturity and wisdom, loved her fair share of dramatics.

"Sona Sitri." She said out loud, startling most of the group. "Rias Gremory. Peerages. I welcome you to my Shrine." She bowed, laying her hands on the ground and her forehead nearly touching the ground. "If you may be pleased to enter the premises?" She stood elegantly, moving the door with barely even a sound and entering it, leaving the door wide open for them to go through.

After a moment of disbelief, Issei sighed and followed Asama inside, with everyone else following after half a beat.

They were seated quickly enough, Issei and Asama on one side, Sona and Rias plus their peerages in the other.

"What would you like to talk about, caretakers of Kuoh?" She demurred, a pot of tea ready on the table, each cup filled with the steaming liquid. Everyone else seemed cautious enough about it, though that abated when Issei took a draft of his own.

"Well," Sona adjusted her glasses, cup untouched. "I would like to begin by saying that I apologize for the late introductions."

"Oh I understand perfectly." Asama laughed off. "You are all very busy people, and you had to adjust yourself to the human culture. I admit, even now, I still do not understand them very well." She confessed. "Issei-kun here has been a big help in that regard."

Issei took a huge gulp of his tea when everyone's gaze suddenly turned to him.

"I see." Sona allowed. "Well, I must commend Hyoudou-kun for helping an esteemed envoy such as yourself get climatized to the world today."

Asama inclined her head. "He deserves it. Are you his sensei in the magic arts? He's an excellent magician in that regards, if lacking in experience."

"No." Sona shook her head. "As much as I would like to claim the credit for myself, Hyoudou-kun has reached thus far by his own talent. I merely pushed him the right direction."

"Ufufu. Issei-kun's quite popular isn't he?" Akeno laughed gently, hiding her lips with the back of her hand. "Don't you think so Buchou?"

"Oh yes." Rias smiled, leaning forward. "In fact, I would like to have him in my very own peerage as much as possible. Asama-san, what do you think would happen if Issei-kun here were to become a devil?"

Sona shot Rias a look that just _screamed_ 'What the hell are you doing ?'

"Oh, I'm sure Issei-kun would grow into a marvelous young man whatever the situation he's in." Asama smiled at her companion, making him blush. "He just seems the type to thrive under trying situations. He may stumble here and there, but he learns quickly enough."

"Oh? Are you a teacher of his then?" Rias asked eagerly. "It feels like you're implying so."

Asama laughed again. "Oh no, I wouldn't call myself his teacher. If anything, I've just given him the chance to practice his craft, stretch his wings as it were, but I wouldn't be as assuming as to say I've been the one teaching him. Now, as much as I enjoy talking about Issei-kun, let's move on to more important matters."

"Of course." Sona coughed into her handkerchief to try and hide the red in her cheeks. It didn't really work. "Now, for the relations between the youkai and the devils that-"

Issei tuned them out later on, instead focusing on a black cat he could _just_ about see outside the window, perched on a tree branch that was licking at her paws before looking over at Issei. For a moment, he could have _sworn_ it smirked at him before jumping down and away from sight.

' _Well.'_ Issei mentally sighed. _'There goes that minor form of entertainment.'_

()()()()()()()()()

"As I said, there's no need to go this far Hyoudou-kun." Sona said exasperatedly, carrying a small box of implements needed for the latest project of the school. "It's nighttime, and you're a student. You should be resting for tomorrow already."

"I like being of help." Issei shrugged. "Besides, home's boring. I already finished all my assignments during math class."

"While I approve of smart time management, I really should be disappointed that you just ignore your maths."

"I don't ignore the teacher though." Issei pointed out. "I actually like Sonada-sensei. I just tune the class out cause I already know the subject."

"Still, our teachers are teachers for a reason, and it would do you good as a person to listen to the advice of the ones more experienced than you."

"Kaichou," Tsubaki laid a hand on Sona's shoulder. "give Hyoudou-kun here a break. He is the best one here in mathematics, even better than you. Really, you should applaud him for using his time wisely."

"Still," Sona sighed. "it's the principle of the matter that-" She tensed, looking to the side in sudden panic. "MOVE!"

The magic circle sprung to life in front of Issei, complementing Tsubaki and Sona's own creations, larger than Issei's own and markedly different structurewise.

The three of them barely defended against the force that had struck it, getting through the first two before stopping at Issei's, though he could see the strain that was exerting upon it, nearly outright shattering his construct, the outer circle all but giving in already.

Tsubaki grabbed Issei around his midsection, bringing the both of them away from ground zero and giving Issei time to see his circle as he cut the connection, conserving some of his energy, the alternative to leave it to shatter, which, if the previous events had showed, was barely a nuisance to whatever it was that broke them in the first place.

The thing in question was huge, two and a half meters tall at least, a huge block of pure, nearly-red muscle with dirty, knotted blonde hair growing from his scalp which had been grown to reach its waist. There were even spiky tufts of hair growing from its forearms and around its shins. Occasionally, a tail swishing back and forth from behind showed that the end part of it had hair growing from it too.

Huge spikes grew from parts of its body too, three on its head with the middle one being maybe half a meter on its own, some spread on its shoulders and one more on each elbow. It held a massive club made out of wood- or, more probably, shaped from a whole tree- easily in one hand.

And currently, it was staring dead straight at him, pale blue eyes cold.

"Little devils," It rumbled deep from its huge barrel of a chest. "I have no quarrel with you or your kin. Give me the magician and I will leave you to your peace."

There was an intelligence to those eyes, a cunning it tried to bury deep beneath the guise of madness it tried to put on, but Issei knew, just knew that it was far smarter than he made himself look.

"Who are you?" Sona demanded, magic literally at her fingertips even as Tsubaki placed herself between Issei and the thing's general direction. "What is an _oni_ doing in my territory?"

"Who I am is none of your business." It growled. "Hand over the magician behind you and I shall go on my way."

"No." Sona said fiercely, eyes hard. "I will not let a student under my protection be manhandled by anyone or anything. Now, leave or I will _make_ you leave."

"Fine words." The oni acknowledged mockingly. "Completely worthless if you cannot even back it up."

Sona responded by sending a spear of twisting water straight into its face, a moderately-sized circle laid down on the side of the nearest building acting as the source for the Sitri's signature magic.

The oni sneered contemptuously and swung its club, and, Issei could see, that its own brand of magic somehow counteracted Sona's, solidifying the fluid spear for a single instant before shattering it to pieces.

Sona's wolves came at it a moment later, watery animals given form and some low form of life and intelligence by her magic, half a dozen of those sleek predators lunging with violence written on their form.

The oni crushed half of the pack with one swing, the club crashing into them with the force of a meteorite, once again somehow solidifying the insubstantial. The remaining ones acted more smartly, two of them going to each side while another moved straight towards the oni, snout raised in the direction of the throat.

Issei didn't wait to see what happened, casting his own magic, a lance of pure kinetic force aiming to take the club out of the oni's hand. The latter took it with barely any reaction other than a grunt of what Issei hoped was pain but was more likely just annoyance.

Still, it distracted the oni for a second or two, and in that time, the wolf constructs managed to close its jaws on its ankles while the last one failed to reach its jaws on account of the oni lashing out on it with the back of its hand.

"Kaichou!" Tsubaki shouted, and somehow, a whole conversation seemed to pass between the two with that single word. Sona nodded, and Tsubaki held her hand out, a naginata appearing from a circle, probably a pocket dimension.

On the subject of personal pocket dimensions, Issei should probably learn about those next. Could be handy and help him save some space on his person. Of course, he really shouldn't use it in a place where just anyone could see him. Would still be a great precursor lessons to more complicated things like his own brand of teleportation or-

"Hyoudou-kun!" Tsubaki snapped, bringing him from his random thoughts, ducking underneath a strike that had whipped the air into a frenzy from the swiftness of its passing and retaliating with her naginata, scoring nothing but a shallow cut. "Either help us with this thing or get away! Don't be distracted!"

"S-shit." Issei muttered, clicking off his choker, looking for anything that could help improve their current situation.

In the end, he settled for thrusting his left hand outward, crafting a three-pointed magical circle on the fly, utilizing the water droplets still in the air, turning them into a multitude of tiny icicles, countless pins

barely the size of a finger, and he created another circle behind them, launching them towards the oni that was even steadily gaining ground on the three of them with the surety of a demon approaching death.

Tsubaki abruptly stood in its way, chin raised defiantly naginata lowered to her side. The oni sneered and brought down its club upon her.

Issei initially panicked, but looking at her determined expression, almost confident even, and Sona's own one that Issei knew was the one she put on whenever she was looking for a solution to a problem, decided to place his trust on them both.

Of course, he still kept a circle prepared on the forefront of his mind, blank really as he didn't know what to place there at the moment, but he made sure to be ready for anything that might happen.

A moment away from impact, Tsubaki held out her hands and yelled out. "Mirror Alice!" A large, fully body mirror appeared, taller than Tsubaki, though it was dwarfed by the thing that was currently about to smash her into a bloody smear in the ground.

Issei felt a terror in his gut as the club made contact with the mirror in one of those strange moments in life where everything seemed to go still for a moment. He could see the muscles tensing on the oni's arm, the sweat running down Tsubaki's forehead, could almost _taste_ her apprehension, her fear.

The moment passed and the club seemed to pass through the mirror, a comical look of confusion on the oni so out of place that Issei nearly burst into laughter then and there. It disappeared later as the club slammed into its own wielder's chin, snapping its neck backwards and making it staggering backwards. It shook its head in annoyance, growling in anger and picking up the club that had been dropped.

Issei could see Sona sigh in frustration, obviously hoping that that was enough to deal with it.

"I see that I underestimated you." It snarled. "I thought you to be mere academics, but it seems the rats have some fight in them after all. Some of my kin relish the thought of taking a woman forcibly. Not me. No, right now, it would give me no greater pleasure than to be given the chance to crush your skulls like grapes."

Issei could see Tsubaki and Sona shudder at its words. Even he could feel a bit sick to his stomach at the thought.

It stalked forwards, and the three of them almost instinctively move backwards with the caution and fear of prey being stalked by a predator.

"Kaichou, what's the plan?" Tsubaki asked, eyes intent on the thing bearing down on them.

"Could you handle the front position while Hyoudou-kun and I assist you here?" Sona grimaced. "There really isn't much we can do with only three of us, especially with Hyoudou-kun here."

Issei thought about offering himself up to the oni, really thought about it, being like one of those heroes in his favorite shows, sacrificing himself so that his friends could be safe. But the moment he opened his mouth, his lips suddenly dried like a desert, tongue nothing but a lump of useless meat. He couldn't do it. It was so easy thinking about doing it when he was just watching on TV, hell, he and his friend used to talk about it all the time, but in the here and the now, looking up at the oni that could and probably will crush him like bug the moment he got close, every one of those thoughts just shut down to be replaced by self-preservation instincts.

In a fit of desperation, he reached out with his magic, getting a feel for the area around the oni's body even as he took in what his eyes told him, and with everything he knew, he _pulled._

And just like that, the heat around the oni's right shoulder was suddenly sapped, the tearing of energy from the area so quick and violent that its whole arm actually cracked apart, the contraction from the loss of heat so abrupt it all but imploded from the force.

The oni roared, clutching at the non-bleeding stump that had replaced his limb, the club falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Sona and Tsubaki stepped backwards in shock, wide-eyed at the oni even as it shook its head and glared at Issei, eyes flame-filled orbs of madness and pure hate.

"You," It breathed out. "are…an exceedingly annoying insect. I would much rather have never dealt with you, but now this seems to be getting a bit… personal."

And then a blast of pure destruction at away at his face, the matter being eaten by destruction even as it burrowed deeper, looking for anything else to do as its very nature told it to and just _destroy, destroy dest-_

"Sona!" A voice that Issei recognized as Rias sounded out, the redhead coming in to back them, her Queen in tow. "What's going on?!"

"An oni." Sona summed up their situation succinctly. "It wants Hyoudou-kun for something. It seems to have a very robust defense against magic attacks."

"Ara, so Issei-kun really _is_ popular isn't he?" Akeno teased but her eyes weren't on him but the oni, a cold smile on her face. "To be wanted by youkai as well, such a playboy."

"Now's not the time for this." Tsubaki said. "We have to prevent him from taking Hyoudou-kun."

"This has been a failure it seems." The oni interrupted them, standing up straight and Rias and Akeno drew back slightly at the sight. "I shall take my leave."

"Oh? After attacking a civilian in our territory, what makes you think we'll just let you leave?" Rias asked confidently, an orb of pure destruction formed over her palm. Beside her, Akeno's fingers began to cackle with electricity.

"Because little devil, if you do not, then I have no qualms with using my dying breath to lay waste to your city." It rumbled, hefting its frozen off hand like its old club, still covered by a block of ice. "And believe me, a man with nothing to lose is the worst possible foe to face. So, what will it be?"

There was a tense standoff, Rias staring at it, Akeno waiting for her signal to go. Sona was clenching her fist too, Tsubaki's hands opening and closing around the haft of her naginata.

"Then go." Rias finally relented, letting her orb fade. "Be sure to not come back, but we _will_ take this up to your superiors."

The oni smirked at that, though Issei could detect a hint of almost sadness in its expression.

"Do what you will, it matters to me not."

It made to leave, making sure to never break eye contact with Issei, slowly drawing backwards into the pseudo-forest that made up half of Kuoh Academy's grounds and melting into the shadows.

Rias slowly relaxed, though Issei made sure that a circle was still prepared in the forefront of his mind, magic held at the ready.

"What was the point of that?" The redhead muttered.

"I don't know." Sona admitted. "But if he was looking for Hyoudou-kun, then this might be a diplomatic incident. I'll… I'll ask Onee-sama for help in this one."

Issei drew a rattling breath, leaning his back against a nearby wall.

' _I did it.'_ He realized. _'It was fucking terrifying… But I did it.'_ He closed his eyes in sudden fatigue. _'That was exhausting.'_

()()()()()()()()()

 **Would Hyoudou Issei please come to the Student Council Room?**

Everyone in the class stopped in their lunch to look up to the PA before turning to the student in question.

"What did you do this time Issei?" Matsuda asked jokingly. "You… you didn't do anything right?" He asked more seriously this time, worried that he actually did.

"Yeah, did you?" Motohama asked suspiciously.

"No I didn't." He rolled his eyes, grabbing at his crutch and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

"No problem." They said in tandem. "See you later."

"Nah, don't wait up for me. Might be home late."

When Issei came to the student council room, it was to see Rias and Sona with their peerages, every one of the occupants tensed.

All except Serafall Leviathan who was calmly sipping at a cup of tea.

"Issei-kun." She said professionally, laying it down on its saucer on top of the table. "I heard about the incident last night from Sona. Would you mind telling your own version of the story so that I'm sure it's the same as Sona's?"

The change was jarring to see, especially considering that until then, Issei's always seen Leviathan as a quirky girl that loved her little sister far too much. Now, seeing her so cool… well, it impressed him. Turned him on a little too, to be perfectly honest.

Still, he sat down on the proffered seat, clearing his throat and beginning his own recountment of the past night's events.

When he was done, Leviathan nodded. "Well, it matches up with what Sona said." Suddenly, the tea in her cup froze over even as her eyes suddenly flared in anger.

"Rias-chan, Sona-chan, Issei-kun, I will arrange a meeting with the Youkai Faction in Kyoto. Please get ready to come when I ask of you. I need to know who's responsible for attacking a head of devil-held territory. If they do not explain themselves and leave me satisfied, then there will be _war_ between us and them. I will _not_ allow me and mine to be disrespected like this."

Leviathan's eyes all but froze over in its ice.

"I _will_ find justice for this, even if they have to pay in blood to do so."

At that moment, looking into Leviathan's gaze, Issei just _knew_ that he was in way over his head.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Chapter's done earlier than I thought. Longer too. Yayyyy.**

 **Ironically enough, the only thing I was doing before finishing this chapter was studying math cause I nearly flunked a test. The universe does love its ironies.**

 **That's it this chapter, not much to say. Vol. 21's cover is Vali with the killer eyes, so I think Ishibumi's telling us that he's a heroine now.**

 **Reviews are both helpful and appreciated.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

The blond child known as Isaiah collapsed on a bed of white-cold snow, feeling the numbness creeping up in his limbs.

It was so, so cold. Colder than anything he's ever experienced, stealing the warmth from his body. But it felt… nice too, almost like a bed made of feathers. His eyes began to gently drift shut, curling up on himself to make the most of his body heat.

 _We'll hold them off, so run away!_

 _This way!_

 _Live a happy life for us, okay?_

His eyes snapped open, pushing himself up even as his breathing grew ragged, frost clinging to his eyelids, mouth all but cracked. He tried to push himself, really did, but his own body was failing him, refused to listen to his demands.

' _Move, move, move!'_ He snarled to himself. _'You have to live!'_

"Oh," A voice whispered. "A steel-normal type. I've never seen that before."

He looked up and was met with an ethereal sight, ones that could usually only be found in paintings.

It was a beautiful girl with crimson-red hair, red as the blood that was running down his temple, nearly frozen from the cold. She was wearing elegant winter clothes fit for a princess. Silhouetted against the full moon, she made for an alluring, unreachable figure.

' _Or a King.'_ He thought, almost delusional.

"Come on, up you go." Was the whispered words that reached his ear. Unconsciously, he tried to stand up again, but his feet refused the order, collapsing face-first back into the white death. Or would have, if not for the hands that grabbed at him, warm and gentle.

"That's no good." The beautiful girl whispered. "Do you have any family?"

He shook his head weakly, looking up at her sapphire-blue eyes.

"No? Then you're mine then!" She said happily, putting him on a piggy-back ride. " **I'll** be your family! We'll have so much fun! There's Akeno who's pretty cute! You'll like her I'm sure. And then there's… well, our family's still a bit small, but we can build it together! Don't you think that'll be fun? Oh." She trailed off when she saw that the boy on her back was fast asleep. She smiled up at the moon.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary** : It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

"Asama-oneesama." Issei said hesitantly, a question mulling over in his mind for the past half hour now, distracting him from his scribbling. "Are you a youkai?"

"Youkai?" She repeated, tilting her head thoughtfully, face scrunched up in concentration. "Hmm. I suppose that in some definitions, I would fit the term, though I've never really referred to myself as such. What brought this question on Issei-kun?"

"It's just…well, there was kinda an attack on me the other day and it was looking for me specifically." He explained, rubbing the back of his left arm absently, remembering the random spasms it experienced throughout the past week.

Asama's eyes immediately narrowed. "How would you say that? Did it know your name?" She asked sharply.

'This must be more serious than I thought.' Issei realized. "Well not by name, but it asked for the magician. Maybe it was someone else?" He offered awkwardly, knowing that there was no way in hell that was true but asking all the same.

"No." Asama closed her eyes and suddenly she seemed so much more burdened now, like she aged a couple of years in front of Issei's eyes. "I'm sure they were looking for you. What's more, I'm sure they were looking for you because of me. And for that, I'm sorry Issei-kun, I truly am." She bowed low, placing her hands on her lap, hair hiding her features. "I never intended for you, or anyone, to get caught up in my own troubles. It's such an embarrassment, looking at it now."

"D-Don't worry." Issei glanced to the side, scratching his cheek. "I mean, it was terrifying don't get me wrong." He admitted, remembering the feeling of terror he had felt when he had faced that oni. At the same time, he recalled that moment of pure exhilaration, of actually testing his magic against a true threat without a safety net to back him up. It was a strangely cathartic experience, empowering too. "But it was also pretty cool to know I could do something like that too." He continued with a small, if exhausted, grin. "Would've preferred if it weren't that sudden, but I guess it did some good for me anyways. After all, maybe He has a plan for me." He added jokingly, an inside joke between himself and a girl halfway across the world.

"Are you religious Issei-kun?" Asama blinked in surprise, tilting his head at him. "I'm sorry, but I've never pegged you as the type."

"No, it was just...nevermind." Issei sighed, dropping the joke and moving on to another topic. "Oh right, because of that oni attack, I'm going to Kyoto with Leviathan-san and Kaichou soon, do you want me to bring you anything?"

Asama's cup shattered in her hand.

Issei flinched.

"A-Asama-neesama?" He asked cautiously, a circle forming in his mind by instinct. "I-Is everything okay?"

She turned to him and, for a single instant, her eyes, usually so warm and carried within them a teasing light, was cold and utterly pissed off.

Issei's breath stuck in his throat, every single one of his instincts shouting at him, demanding that he get away now before the thing in front of him decides that it wanted to hurt him, his own self realizing, knowing that he'd have no way to defend himself if the thing attacked in earnest.

Asama blinked, and the moment passed, her looking down at the broken glassware with slight distress.

"O-oh. It seems I've let myself get the best of me." She picked up a particularly large shard, holding it up to her eyes with a sigh. "Such a waste of good tea." She muttered sadly, gathering the shards and placing them on the table. "Please wait here while I get something Issei-kun." She waved a hand over the spilled liquid and causing it to disappear, standing up in the same motion.

"Ah, sure." Issei said hesitantly, rubbing the back of his left hand which had began to spasm again. He frowned, deliberately clenching and unclenching it. It was most likely nothing serious, but he didn't really want to risk losing the use of yet another limb.

The feeling of his arm spasming on him has been going on and off for the past few weeks now, ever since he first started learning practical applications of magic on combat and escalating even further with the night attack on the school.

He reached up for his choker, tracing the box idly. Should he? It would certainly clear up some questions about the feeling. He laid his thumb on the switch, staring at his slightly twitching his hand and flicked it off, letting his ability through. He looked at the numbers that told that story of his being, pushing aside the ones that he already knew and delved in deep.

He found absolutely nothing of note. He frowned, turning it over, closing then opening it, inspecting it from different angles. Nothing.

He sighed, letting it drop back down and letting his head hang back. He didn't know what he expected really. Still, he just knew there had to be something causing it, possibly on a spectrum he either couldn't see or comprehend. Possibly both.

"What's the matter?" Asama asked curiously, returning from wherever she went, carrying with her a small bar of- was that gold?- and sat in front of the table, carefully picking up the biggest shards of glass and beginning to rearrange them easily.

Issei looked at Asama, hesitating. In the end, curiosity won over everything else and he confessed about the feeling he's been having.

"It's my left arm." He explained, hefting it up. "It's been a bit...weird the past few weeks now. Do you know what's wrong with it?"

"Let me see." Asama reached over and took ahold of the limb, gently turning it over in her hands, eyes narrowing in focus turning to slight shock. "Ara, I can't believe I missed this." She said, more to herself than him. "Incredible. Something like this... in front of me all this time without me noticing." She shook her head in mild self-derision. "I'm feeling a little embarrassed now."

"Why? What is it? It isn't anything bad is it?" Issei asked, a bit of his worry seeping through.

Asama laughed, the sound like a bell's chime. "Nothing of that sort Issei-kun. It's simply your Sacred Gear letting itself be known."

"Sacred Gear? You mean that cool thing that gives people superpowers?" Issei grinned, all apprehension vanishing to be replaced by giddiness.

"Yes." Asama smiled at him. "It feels like a dragon-type too, and if what I'm feeling is accurate..." She trailed off, giving him a once over.

"How do I bring it out?" Issei asked excitedly, already waiting to use his new trick.

"Sacred Gears are are relics from the era of the God from the Bible, designed by Him and granted unto you humans." Asama told him in a slightly lecturing tone, taking two shards and placing them together, and, with a wave of her hand, a small piece of gold separated from the bar and connected the two broken pieces with itself acting as the glue. "More importantly, they are activated, and powered by, intent. The feelings and emotions of its wielder." She grabbed another piece, repeating the process. "To bring it out to the surface Issei-kun, think of the most powerful thing you know of, be it person or object. Focus on that image and nothing else, and push your magic throughout your body."

Issei closed his eyes, thinking on just what his most powerful thing was. The first that came to mind was Goku from Dragon Ball, the hero of probably every kid out there. He imagined Goku's Kamehameha against Frieza, one of the most epic things he's seen in his young life.

Then, abruptly, the image was shattered, replaced by his memory of Sirzechs Lucifer as he saw the Satan, a being of pure power, an image so in tune, so intertwined with the concept of destruction that even fundamental laws of reality were shattered by his simple existence.

A warmth emanated from his left arm, the constant itch at the back of his palm turning abruptly into a needle stabbing deep into the middle of his hand before dissipating finally.

He opened his eyes, looking down to see a crimson red gauntlet with a green gem set in its middle covering the back of his hand, extending halfway to his elbow.

Other than that….there was really nothing that stood out, just a very ordinary looking trinket, interesting in its novelty but nothing else.

"So that's it." Asama breathed, reaching out tentatively for Issei's hand, her tea glass that was fully repaired, golden veins running through it forgotten in favor of the Sacred Gear's appearance. "The Boosted Gear."

"What...what is this anyway?" Issei asked, looking up from his inspection of his tool to the shrine maiden that had moved from her place across him to sit beside Issei, cradling his hand carefully.

"The Boosted Gear, the prison that holds Y Ddraig Goch back from existence, one Longinus out of thirteen, Sacred Gears that have the power to depose and lay low Gods from their pedestals and thrones." Asama recited as if from a book. "This...You've been given a very special opportunity Issei-kun, and while I hold no power over you or your choices, I just want you to know where you stand." Asama told him very, very seriously, looking straight into his eyes. "Right now, you are one of those who has the power to move the world."

Issei swallowed, licking his suddenly dry lips. "That's a lot to take in." He said weakly.

"But take it in you must." Asama shook her head. "It would do you more good in the long run if you understand this right here, right now. The political clout alone of holding a Longinus inside you… a lot of factions would gladly shower you titles, money, treasure and women to use as you see fit if it would make you consider being allied to them. A lot of factions in the same vein, would also try their best to kill you, to make sure that you would never join their opposition. I advise you Issei-kun, don't tell anyone about your Boosted Gear, not any of those girls you talk to in school, nor any of the Four Maou, just as much your sake as it is for theirs."

"What happens if they find out?" Issei asked warily, taking in the sight of the gauntlet. It seemed so...plain-looking, so bland and uninspired for a weapon that could supposedly kill gods. It looked like one of those starter weapons in the RPGs!

"Then, it would be best that you become powerful enough that they and everyone else would think twice about challenging your might." Asama shook her head. "But let us leave that for another day. What's this about you going to Kyoto?"

()()()()()()()()()

Would Hyoudou Issei please come to the Student Council Room?

For the second time in the week, Issei's name blared over the PA of the school, the student grabbing at his cane while Matsuda and Motohama both raised their eyebrows in concern.

"You do know I was joking when I asked if you did anything right?" Matsuda asked, looking over at Issei.

The latter rolled his eyes even as he swung his bag across his back. "It's nothing important, just something I got roped into. See you guys later."

When he entered the Student Council Room, it was to find everyone that was coming along had already gathered, Leviathan in her business suit, none of her usual bubbliness in her eyes and Rias and Sona clad in the official uniform of Kuoh Academy, their respective Queens by their side.

"Hyoudou-kun." Serafall nodded curtly. "Are you ready?" Without even waiting for his answer, she held out a hand towards the wall, a light violet circle forming, tall enough for all of them to walk through . "Let's go."

Issei glanced uncertainly between Sona and Rias, both of them either really used to this kind of thing to be that cool and relaxed, or they were just putting up a front.

Issei hoped it was the latter. It wouldn't be cool if he was the only one nervous about this.

He took a deep breath, following the devils closely and entering the circle.

The place they landed on was somewhere Issei had only ever seen in pictures before.

"K-Kinkaku-ji?" He asked himself quietly, looking up at the golden-colored temple, finding it a lot more beautiful than just seeing it in pictures.

"This is so beautiful!" Rias said in a hushed whisper. "I can't believe we're going here for our trip! I can't wait!"

"I know." Sona nodded, a small, almost imperceptible smile on her face. "Kyoto certainly is a beautiful landmark of Japan. I would certainly like to explore more of this place during our trip."

"We're not here to sightsee." Leviathan snapped, and Issei could see the shock go through the two Kings' faces, not to mention their peerages' reaction. Issei even thought that, for a moment, they were afraid of her.

With the things he's seen from Sirzechs Lucifer, and the knowledge that she was an apparent equal to him, Issei could safely say that their fear was completely justified.

They walked in silence after that, Leviathan leading them to a secluded torii in the middle of the woods. She quickened her pace, fists clenched and forcing Issei to pick up his pace.

"Stop!"

The Leviathan stopped, turning a glare at a spot just to the right of the red torii.

"What do you want gatekeeper?" She snapped. "Make it quick. I have business with your leader."

"She didn't say anything about visitors nor guests arriving." The voice said suspiciously, and Issei along with everyone else gathered either peered at the general direction Serafall was looking at, or was looking around wildly to spot the source. "Either present to me proof of your business, or I shall make you leave."

Leviathan tch'd. "I will not be a part of your games youkai, nor will I fall for your petty power plays. Let me through. Yasaka knows full well that I am here for her."

"No." A girl shimmered to existence, stepping into the middle of the tori, a veil over her seeming to come apart to present herself.

She was very young or, at least, young-looking, barely looking like she was eight years old, making her improperly worn kimono, almost falling off her dainty shoulders, all the more scandalous.

"Yasaka-sama assigned this gate, this entrance, under my watch, and I shall not disappoint her."

Leviathan glared and, for one moment, Issei was actually sure it would come to blows. The Satan's eyes flicked over to them and she abruptly suck a deep breath in, tension in her tension loosening up. "Then, would you please tell Yasaka….san that I'm here now. We'll wait for her."

"There is no need for that." Another voice cut in, this one sounding even younger than the girl already in front of them. From the other side of the torii, a little girl came through, blonde-haired and, more importantly, nine tails of the same color sprouting from her lower back.

With her official, not to mention expensive, looking kimono, along with the two bishounen men with fox ears by her side, she looked like royalty, a princess.

She went to her knees, a move that rocked Serafall back, and bowed, her forehead touching her fingers that had laid on the ground. Even her bodyguards looked surprise, the one on her left about to reach for her before his companion shook his head at him.

"Serafall Leviathan-sama, esteemed guests. I deeply apologize in behalf of my mother, and the youkai's leader, for this rather rude greeting. Tamamo-san, thank you for your hard work, but your job is done for now."

"Yes Kunou-sama." The girl called Tamamo bowed low before vanishing into existence once again, a mirage in the desert broken by reality.

"If you would please follow me." 'Kunou' stood up, brushing her kimono off with dainty hands. For a stark white cloth, dirt fell off it exceptionally well. "My mother is ready for your audience now."

Leviathan's hands twitched and Issei saw her look grudgingly impressed.

"Everyone." She said quietly, staring at the girl's retreating back. "As much as possible, do not say anything. Answer when you are questioned, but don't give any additional information other than what you are asked. Youkai are some of the most cunning people I know of, and Yasaka is the most cunning of them all. She will twist your own words against you to suit her own purposes. Do not give her the chance to do so. Do not fall for her flowery words or petty compliments. Understood?"

All of them nodded uncertainly, her tone setting the weight of the matter on their shoulders.

They were all lead through the torii, the landscape around them changing, turning from the lush greens of a forest into what felt like another world.

Streets of the Edo period greeted them, ancient styled houses as far as the eye could see and through every visible opening, the faces and eyes of strange creatures followed their every move.

Serafall Leviathan moved as if in perfect ease, not even giving any of them a second glance. Or even a first glance come to think of it.

Issei, in contrast, was looking around nervously, catching sight of Rias and Sona doing the same if a bit more discreetly. Tsubaki and Akeno were sticking closer to their Kings than usual, Akeno's hands clasped together at her front, head bowed in a demure fashion.

It didn't change the fact that she was obviously on edge, something even he could see clearly, her shoulders taut, her hands held stiffly.

They were all like that on some level really, even Kunou, the one that was leading them, and her guards.

All except Serafall.

The entire walk was tense and the oppressive atmosphere was only amplified when Serafall began to hum to herself quietly. The guards beside Kunou gripped at the swords placed on their waists, knuckles clenched white while the girl herself paled even more so than her already fair complexion, her golden eyes standing out.

Issei wanted to speak up, to talk to Sona, or Rias or even the little fox-girl to get to know her better, but the atmosphere pretty much killed that hope dead.

"W-we've arrived." The princess said, Issei not missing the sight of her tongue flicking out against her suddenly dry lips. "This is the home of the Youkai." She turned to them and bowed, her two companions opening the two doors behind her. "Mother, I have brought them."

"Welcome Serafall Leviathan. I see you've brought some guests." The blonde leader of the Youkai smiled at them disarmingly. "This is a bit sudden, but I hope our hospitality will be enough for your stay here."

Issei's first impression of Yasaka was that she was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he's ever laid eyes on really. Issei really didn't know if it was magic, or if it was just a recurring theme with the supernatural, but their women were absolutely gorgeous, bombshells every single one of them from Rias Gremory to Sona Sitri, to Serafall Leviathan and Asama, and now even Yasaka the Kyuubi.

"We have no plans of staying long." Serafall assured her. "I just want to clear things up between the treaty between the Devils and the Youkai."

"Oh? That saddens me. We do not get much visitors lately, especially ones of your position." Yaska sighed theatrically. "But if you must, then I shall follow in placing business before pleasure. What of the treaty?"

"An oni, one of yours, breached the grounds of Kuoh Academy and breaking the grounds of the treaty that says no altercation is to happen between youkai and devil in specially mandated territory in which Kuoh Town is one."

"The actions of one stray is hardly my fault Satan. You of all people should know that, with your Strays growing like weeds." Yasaka huffed, sounding annoyed at Serafall, narrowing her eyes at them.

"The fact that you make no effort to take responsibility for them makes it worse than what ours do Yasaka." Serafall said. "We organize hunts to bring them in or, when they truly are beyond saving, to put them down."

"What would you have me do?" Yasaka spread her arms to the side. "We do not have your numbers Serafall Leviathan. We do not have your ability of increasing our population with ease, nor do we have the loyalty of many a Sacred Gear wielder. All we have are us and ours. Senjutsu is a powerful skill, but our strays are capable of that too, and those that go astray are usually of those with greater skill and lesser discretion than our people. I do not wish to send my palace guards to search for them. Kyoto is the largest gathering of Youkai in Japan, and with our numbers as dangerously low as they are, I dare not risk any of them leaving and coming back to their home and finding nothing but ashes and dust."

"Then at least try to reign in your extremists and zealots Yasaka!" Serafall growled. "The lives of innocents should hardly be involved. Us Devils have no place in this ongoing cold war between you and Asama!"

The blonde kitsune's eyes flashed and she let out a scoff of derision. "It is hardly a war Serafall-san. At most, it can be called a one-sided feud on her part. I hold nothing but indifference for Asama, and I am sure she is well aware of that fact."

Issei, out of the corner of his eye, saw Sona and Rias exchange glances.

At the back of his mind, he wondered what Asama would say when she heard what the woman in front of him was saying about her.

A bigger part of him was thinking about just what was going on between Asama and Yasaka, that lead to Serafall actually using the word 'war' as a description for the relationship between the two. Admittedly, he got that Asama hated Kyoto, or probably Yasaka now that he's had some context, from his mere uttering of the word, but to this extent?

"Be that as it may, you and I know that there are more than enough of youkai, yours or not, who would gladly bring innocents into the fray if it meant getting a chance to bring harm to Asama."

"Why the sudden interest?" Yaska asked, looking at Serafall intensely. "This has been going on for years already. Why now?"

"Because now, some of our own has been caught in the crossfire." She pointed towards the gathered five.

For the first time, the ruler of Kyoto actually took notice of them, golden eyes roving over them with a bored eye before stopping at him, focusing on him with naked interest shining through.

Issei's breath hitched in his throat even as Yasaka's eyes stared into his own unblinkingly for a long moment.

Very slowly, her tongue flicked out of her mouth, licking her lips and making Issei swallow in nervousness.

Her eyes left his, going back to meet Serafall's after what felt like an eternity.

She dipped her head in a shallow, but unmistakeable bow. "I see. And who are these, if I may ask? An oni is not an unformidable foe. How did you manage to survive such an encounter.

Issei made no mistake about the focus of that question. He mulled the question over before answering. "With much difficulty."

Yasaka's eyes widened in surprise before letting out a peal of laughter that sounded pleasantly surprised. "Oh I like this one." Yaska shook her head in amusement. "Serafall-san, rest assured that those in my court, and those under my direct rule, are henceforth forbidden from any action that would result in the direct harm of Asama and the destruction of any part of Kuoh Town."

"That's all I ask." Serafall said, smiling for the first time since Issei's seen her that day. It was infectious, Sona and Rias looking incredibly relieved and Kunou and Yasaka's gathered court looking very happy, a stark contrast to just a few minutes ago where they look like they were expecting war to break out any moment.

That really didn't seem all that farfetched Issei realized with a small chill.

"Then what say you to a small party? To celebrate a successful talk?" Yasaka suggested.

"Only if there's food." Serafall laughed lightly.

Yasaka smiled, eye crinkling their amusement. "And sake. Oh you must simply try the ones made by the tanuki here. They're divine."

"I'll hold you to that Yasaka-san." Serafall shook her head. "I'll be asking for some to bring home of course." She grinned good naturedly, Yasaka returning it easily enough.

"Of course, of course. After all, it would only do us good if our products reach the ears and tastebuds of the Maous after all."

Serafall, against everything she displayed thus far, plopped down next to the ruler of Kyoto casually, the latter not even minding, even enjoying it if the look she was sporting was any indication, chatting on like old friends.

"So...why are we even here again?" Issei stage whispered to his four companions, confused about the sudden mood shift.

"I...have no idea." Sona admitted, pushing up her glasses. "Maybe to show to Yasaka-dono the ones that were affected by the incident? To make it more personal?"

Rias shook her head. "I think it was a lesson to both of us, to let us see what negotiations between leaders of two factions are like."

"Well whatever it is, at least we're at a party." Akeno offered, sounding rather weak to Issei.

"What do we do?" Issei asked, rubbing the arm holding his crutch awkwardly.

"We mingle." Rias shrugged. "Not a lot of people get invited to the heart of the Youkai's court. This might be a good place as any to start your network as a magician Issei-kun."

With those words, Issei found himself alone, Rias dragging Sona along with her, Tsubaki giving him a concerned look before following her King and Akeno winking at him one last time.

"...well shit." Issei said, looking around, finding himself alone in a room full of unfamiliar, and potentially hostile, faces.

He sighed, and with a thunk of his crutch, walked over to the condiments and food section of the party, like his middle school prom night except this time, he didn't have Matsuda and Motohama to joke around and keep him company.

He grabbed a cup of juice, or what looked like it anyway, and hoped he didn't die or get drunk or something.

He looked around, leaning against the wall, seeing Rias and Sona make conversation with those bishie fox-youkai and somehow made the two look interested in them despite them being considered 'enemies' just a few minutes ago.

Issei sighed.

No one's ever accused him of being a social butterfly.

He took a sip of his juice.

It tasted like blueberries.

"Are you not satisfied with the preparations?" A voice behind him asked, and he turned quickly, trying to hide the fact that his heartrate suddenly jumped, juice in his cup nearly spilling. "Oh sorry! I did not mean to surprise you."

"I-it's nothing. I just wasn't paying attention." Issei waved off, then immediately trying to scrounge up and revive old manners. "H-hi." He almost immediately mentally slapped himself for greeting the place's ohime-sama so casually.

"H-hello." The little kyuubi, Kunou, greeted back with a slight bow.

An awkward silence fell between the two.

Issei took another sip of his juice, looking to the side and pursing his lips.

Kunou fiddled with the hem of her dress.

At that point, Issei half-considered seriously faking a headache or an injury just to get out of the situation before remembering that he really had no way of getting home by himself.

"What happened to your leg?" Kunou blurted out before gasping and covering her mouth with her hands, eyes wide in shock. "I-I'm sorry that was rude! Mama always said that I shouldn't, I mean! That was, I meant..."

Issei blinked, watching the young girl stutter and stammer, steadily getting more flushed as she tried to rectify what she said and only succeeding in digging herself in deeper.

He couldn't help it.

He laughed.

The blonde kyuubi blinked before puffing out her reddened cheeks. "S-stop laughing!" She waved her hands around, flailing them at Issei's side ineffectively even as he grinned wildly, keeping away from her, taking the blows with his forearm.

"Sorry, sorry!" He called out, still sporting a smile. Then, just to have a bit of fun, he bowed low dramatically. "This one is sorry for his actions ojou-sama. Please find it in yourself to forgive me."

"Y-you better be sorry." Kunou hmph'd, arms at her waist and cheeks still red. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he straightened up. "I'm sorry too." She mumbled. "That was pretty rude of me."

Issei smiled, waving her off. "Apology accepted. Though it really isn't needed. I'm not really all that hung up on this." He looked around and, finding no seats available, sat down on the floor against the wall.

Kunou looked at him and seemed to come to an internal debate before settling herself down next to him.

"Are you sure you want to hear about me?" Issei asked her just to be sure.

Kunou nodded. "I….I've never really met someone like you." She admitted.

'What a sheltered ojou-sama.' Issei thought. It was honestly cute. "Well," he began. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it was really nothing special. There's barely any story to it really. Just… my friends and I were walking down the street and I got hit by a truck."

Kunou gasped, leaning towards him. "W-what happened to your friends?" She asked in a whisper.

Issei blinked. "They're safe. I pushed them out of the way before they got hit."

"You saved them?" She whispered, looking at him intensely. "So you're a hero!"

"Well...I guess." Issei tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling. He never did consider himself a hero, despite what the parents of Matsuda and Motohama said. It was just instinct more than anything else. He got the chance to take away his friends from harm's way and he took it. Sure he got crippled doing it, but it was better than his friend's dying and he was still alive so that counted for something.

"That's so cool." Kunou said, stars in her eyes, mouth wide open.

"What about you though?" Issei said playfully. "You're the princess of a kingdom. That sounds pretty sweet."

Kuou pouted, throwing up her hands. "It's not! I can't even leave without guards! It's so annoying!"

Issei smirked, ruffling her hair, her struggling against it. "That's cause you're still a kid."

"Am not!" She puffed her cheeks out at him, glaring at Issei.

"Sure sure." Issei waved his hands carelessly.

"I'm not!"

"I believe you."

"No you don't!"

()()()()()()()()()

"Are you sure you cannot stay any longer?" Yasaka asked them all after the party had began to thin out, the numbers dwindling to just the Kuoh envoy, and Yasaka and her daughter. "I am sure we can prepare rooms for you all."

"I would accept the offer, but I still have an appointment tomorrow morning, and they still have classes as well." Leviathan gestured to the students, shaking her head. "Thank you for the offer though."

"But….you'll come back right onii-chan?" Kunou suddenly asked, looking up at Issei from her place at Yasaka's side.

The ruler of Kyoto laughed, drawing her daughter in close, nuzzling her cheek against the top of Kunou's head.

"I'm sure that 'onii-chan' here is very busy." She glanced at Issei, a sly smile on her lips.

Issei sighed ruefully and stepped forward, crouching down in front of Kunou. "I'll do my best Kunou-hime. Everyt ime I'll be in Kyoto, I'll make sure to drop by."

The tiny blonde kitsune lit up and then turned to look away. "I- I mean, it's not like I want you to. It would just be more convenient for me to have someone telling me about the outside world like you. So….you better come back!" She glared at him intensely. "I won't forgive you if you don't!"

Issei rolled his eyes good-naturedly, ruffling Kunou's hair. "Yes ohime-sama."

"Good!" Kunou huffed.

Issei smiled, standing back up to see Yasaka and Leviathan staring at him with complicated expression.

"Ara ara, I had no idea Issei-kun was such a playboy." Akeno teased.

"Akeno!" Rias said scoldingly, and Issei only got a moment to feel a bit of warmth at the thought of his senpai standing up for him before it was dashed against the rocks. "It's not your business if Issei-kun's a siscon or not."

Issei sighed, deciding to play along. "Kaichou, Akeno-san and Rias-san are bullying me!" He fake-whined.

"I had no idea you were that sort Hyoudou-kun." Sona inched away from him, her lips twitching into a small smile. "I think it would be best if you were to keep your distance from me."

"Alright guys, break it up. It's time to go." Leviathan interrupted them before they could go on.

"Goodbye onii-chan! Come back soon!" Kunou waved at them, and Issei waved back, bowing towards Yaska.

They walked out of the palace, some guides appearing the moment they left through the door to lead them to the torii that acted as the boundary between the place and Kyoto.

Leviathan thanked them after their job was done, a circle appearing underneath them all. Issei squinted against the bright light and, once it died down, saw that they were back in Kuoh Academy's grounds, the moon hanging over them.

"Well that was-"

Leviathan whirled on Issei, stomping her foot on the ground. A circle opened above him, trapping him in a cylinder of magic. Issei flinched, back hitting the 'wall' of the construct and feeling it surprisingly solid.

"Onee-sama?!" Sona cried out in surprise. "What are you doing?!"

"Issei-kun here's a human." Leviathan muttered, just loud enough to be heard. Her eyes were drifting all over Issei's form. "He doesn't have the natural resistance and sensitivity to magic like we devils do. If Yasaka were to plant a magical bug on anyone of us here, it would be on him."

Rias let out a choking sound. ""W-what are you talking about Leviathan-sama? Don't you trust Yasaka?"

"Oh her word's good." She said, still looking at Issei. She snapped her fingers, and a new circle was created, directly underneath Issei this time. "She'll tell nothing but truths and honeyed words and empty praises and they will all lead you to the worst conclusions you could possibly make." Leviathan narrowed her eyes, the circle dissipating. "That's what makes her so dangerous."

Before Issei could do anything, she accosted him, hands roaming across his whole body. "No bugs," She said under her breath. "no time-delayed runes, nothing I can sense." She sighed, obviously annoyed. "I hate dealing with senjutsu. Too damn annoying." Serafall stepped back, arms dropping to her sides. "Well...you're clean as far as I can tell. Yasaka didn't attempt any of her tricks this time."

She massaged her forehead. "I have to go now. I still have a meeting tomorrow." She muttered under breath. "This has been far less productive than I expected."

Issei watched her leave through a circle. 'What...what the hell was all that about?' He asked himself, idly tracing his choker.

"Have you ever seen Leviathan-sama like that before?" Rias asked outloud, the question addressed to no one in particular.

"No. I have never seen her act like that ever." Sona shook her head slowly, adjusting her glasses.

The two Queens shook their head when Rias turned her eyes on them.

"I see. So...is Issei-kun the cause of this?" Rias wondered, turning to look at the first year.

He didn't have an answer for that. Not really.

()()()()()()()()()

"So what happened Issei-kun?" Asama asked Issei after she served the tea.

After yesterday, Sona had seen fit to give Issei an official 'day off' for school, allegedly for joining in official school business and, as such, was given compensation.

"I….I'm not really sure." He admitted, taking a sip of tea. "I mean, when we met up with Yasaka….san everything was so tense it was kinda scary." Issei noticed that Asama's hands had curled around the now-fixed cup but thankfully, didn't break it again. "Then there was a party and Serafall-san and Yasaka-san began to get along but then after that she's suddenly paranoid about me having magical bugs or something and decided to search me. I mean, what's up with that right?"

"Then Serafall Leviathan is wiser than I gave her credit for." Asama said with a scowl. "Yasaka is not to be trusted, no matter what she says or does."

"Actually, Asama-neesama….why are you so angry at Yasaka-san anyway?" Issei asked cautiously, remembering the Kyuubi's words and Asama's reaction the last time he had mentioned Kyoto.

"It is hardly a war Serafall-san. At most, it can be called a one-sided feud on her part. I hold nothing but indifference for Asama, and I am sure she is well aware of that fact."

"Because, Issei-kun, Yasaka took everything I was, everything I am, and crushed it all under her heel. You asked me if I was a youkai before right? Well, I am not a youkai Issei-kun, I was more of a goddess than anything else. I could shape the world according to my whims. I was one of the most powerful beings in Japan, so far beyond mortal limits that the idea of even challenging me would be the most ridiculous of thoughts, that the act fighting me would be a sin in and of itself! And she turned me into nothing but a glorified placeholder!" She suddenly shouted, throwing an arm to the side even as the other was placed at her chest, her tea spilling over. She laughed bitterly, slunking back down on her seat. "But that... even that shame I can find it in myself to forgive. What I cannot forgive however, is the fact that to do so, she stripped me from my home, my own place of power, the place that is my entire existence and banished me to this devil-held land to act as an ambassador between her and devils.

You ask why I am angry at Yasaka. I tell you now, I do not hate Yasaka. I absolutely loathe her very existence. Every moment I feel it, her loathsome presence, and even you do so Issei-kun. It is her extremists that to this day tries their luck to kill me. Every single day without fail, they will make an appearance, they will even try to give their lives if it means getting a chance to bring me to harm's way. And now they've even gone and attacked you Issei-kun, a person I call my friend, in sanctioned grounds." Asama sighed, letting her forehead rest against her hands. "I'm sorry Issei-kun." She apologized out of nowhere. "I...I feel embarrassed, to talk about my feelings so much, and to you too...It's so unladylike. I would guess that made you look down on me a bit, ne Issei-kun?"

"It's fine." Issei said immediately. "I mean… I understand. Well, not really, but I think I understand Asama-neesama better now. And I don't look down on you Asama-neesama. Asama-nee...Asama's Asama. And I won't ever look down on the graceful and poised Asama just because of something like that. No, in fact, knowing about something like that makes you even more amazing in my eyes."

"A-ara." Asama straightened her seating, a red flush coming to her cheeks. "I-I...those are...Thank you Issei-kun." She bowed her head. "Those words mean a lot to me."

"A-ah." Issei scratched the back of his head nervously. "I said something strange didn't I?"

"Ufufu. No it wasn't." Asama shook her head. "Rather, for saying things like that, Issei-kun is surprisingly weak when being praised isn't he?"

"That's- that's just because I'm not used to it." Issei protested.

Asama paused, looking at Issei in slight surprise and something else he couldn't quite identify. "That is…" Asama shook her head ruefully. "It's seems both of us have our own set of problems Issei-kun." She laughed slightly.

Issei looked up at the ceiling of the shrine. "Yeah, I guess so." He admitted.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **I'm SO sorry this took so long. I didn't really plan for this to take so long but before I realized it, 2 weeks passed without me managing to add in anything.**

 **Between the heat( it averages at 35-41 degrees celsius here), having to actually GO to school with this heat(why they thought it was a good idea for a school in a tropical freaking country to follow the American Academic Year, I'll never know) and workload galore, I couldn't manage to find time to work on this. I tried but...  
**

 **Okay, so...well, that's pretty much it.**

 **Reviews are both helpful and appreciated.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"He's evolving Akeno! I can feel it!" Rias said excitedly, rapidly tapping her Queen's side as she pointed at Issei.

The black-haired girl twitched. "Rias, for the last time, this is not a game! Please, respect Issei-kun's efforts! He's doing his best right now!"

Even as the words left her lips, Issei was suddenly covered in a bright light, Akeno actually feeling his strength grow and evolve to be something more.

"Oh come on!" She let out, her frustration leaking out of her usually unflappable bearing. "Why is the world listening to what you say?!"

"He's like a shiny Gyarados! All red and shiny..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

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 **Chapter 8**

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 **[Boost!]**

The gem set in the back of his hand glowed brightly even as he crafted a circled a circle underneath his feet, formed with a calculation done in a single moment.

He couldn't afford to waste a single second in this.

The circle launched him backwards just as the veritable missile of pure magic slammed into the ground he occupied, cratering the ground with ease.

Calculations ran through Issei's head, taking in the numbers flashing almost nauseatingly everywhere. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and look away, instead finding and sifting through the information they carried, immediately dismissing useless parts and gathering everything that could help in the construction of the circle he had in mind.

The design in his head disappeared quickly, thrown into disarray when an elaborate chain of magic twisted and crawled from a single kanji symbol that had sprouted underneath him.

It threatened to swallow him up, walls of light growing in eight directions around him, quickly closing in around him hungrily.

 **[Boost!]**

He felt his reserves grow, felt his own power double in a sudden influx that actually caught him off-guard.

The shock lasted only for a split second, prioritizing the reality that was now pressing against him with painful pressure.

Issei twitched his left hand, Boosted Gear shining brightly. He pushed his magic through it, made more effective, made more potent now.

Japanese magic, specifically Kanji-based ones were not his specialty, barely even touching upon the subject matter.

In the instant he had, he couldn't unravel the threads that made up the elegantly woven creation, the construct being too complex, too much material making up the whole of it.

So he made do with brute force.

A wave of magic flowed from him, twisting and straining and tearing, none of his usual deliberation and calculation in them, the situation not permitting him to do so. The magic broke against the barrier, the construct rebuffing the advances but not even it was capable of holding for too long. The magic flooded outwards once the ethereal walls of the barrier broke, a torrent finally free to do what it wanted, and what it wanted was to break free.

Issei immediately latched onto them before they could disperse into the air, instead reigning them in for another offensive.

 **[Boost!]**

' _Good timing.'_ Issei thought, control over the raging magic growing exponentially, finally bringing it to heel.

He gathered it in his left hand, arm shaking from the strain of containing the power.

Issei carefully trained it on his target, erecting an eight-pointed defensive circle around himself, creating multiple redundancies.

It wouldn't hold, he knew that, especially not against an earnest attack. The onslaught of power aimed at him was too powerful for his shield to last for more than a second against such a sustained assault.

He 'parted' the circle, a single point of exit where he'd fire the gathered energy.

It launched from his palm, the force of its departure actually pushing him back, sending him skidding against the ground, nearly forcing him to let go of his cane if it weren't for a fumbling catch.

The condensed beam of pure concentrated magic was hot, ridiculously so, and Issei could feel his hand grow uncomfortably warm even through the temperature barrier he had hastily set up over himself.

It felt like an eternity, only made infinitely worse by the pain of holding it in, before he had finally run out of juice to power the stream of power.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei felt his power return, almost exhilarating in how it made him so powerful, how he could use magic as he pleased, as carelessly as he could and still have full reserves at the ready, waiting for him to call it up.

He erected a new barrier around himself, not taking down the others he had set up for himself, waiting for the inevitable retaliation.

It came a second later in the form of a huge boulder being thrown at him.

Issei didn't expect that.

Still, the outer barriers he had set up almost immediately shattered upon impact, but it bled out enough of the force and inertia that the others stood up remarkably well.

He squinted against the dirt thrown up, trying to find his target.

Unwilling to be a sitting duck, he gathered the dust around him, clumping it together in a tight ball and lobbed it over like a grenade.

Issei snapped his fingers, a meaningless gesture that was nothing but to give his body something to do, the movement acting as a signal to himself to create a small, simple circle that did nothing but create a tiny flame, barely more than a spark.

That spark ignited the whole blanket of dust, creating a raging inferno that expanded outwards, and it was unfortunately indiscriminate, reaching out to include him in the festivities.

So Issei created a circle around the blaze, one of the more complicated ones he's created so far, designed to make sure nothing could get in, or out, not even air. It was still a work in progress, some objects with more mass such as boulders still managing to get past it.

But for now it did the job he needed it to do, containing the blaze inside the confines of the circle.

He willed it to collapse, the energy of the fire being contained, shrinking the space it occupied to a diameter of a meter across.

He stared at the circle, contents obscured by the smoke that couldn't escape, instead acting as the perfect smokescreen.

He waited to see if a contained explosion, oxygen deprivation, and smoke inhalation did the deed.

"Did-did I get her?" He muttered.

"Nope!" A voice brightly said behind him.

Issei groaned, turning around to see Asama smiling mischievously at him. She reached out and poked him in the forehead with surprising strength.

 **[Reset!]**

The sudden loss of strength sent him on his ass to the ground, rubbing at the spot she abused.

"Good try Issei-kun." She said approvingly, turning back to go inside of her shrine.

He stared at the sky for a while, his left arm shifting back to normal. "Well I lost again." He said to himself with a sigh.

Issei picked himself up, dusting off his pants and picking his cane back up, following Asama inside the shine.

He plopped down onto his usual seat, Asama sitting with tea already prepared.

"How did I do this time?" He asked, hands closing around the proffered cup.

"You definitely showed improvement." Asama began with hum. "I can now safely say that you're definitely a cut above the average magician, to say nothing of those who've been dabbling in the art for as long as you have."

Issei preened slightly at the praise, but knowing Asama, readied himself for the inevitable negatives she saw.

"However, you still have that tendency to brute force your way past challenges you did not expect nor prepare for, and your reaction to that kanji-based magic comes to mind, or the rock I threw at you. Issei-kun, just because one is a magician does not mean that that is all they have in their arsenal.

In fact, the more powerful magicians cheat more than anything else by using what's available to them on hand and making use of them to solve their problem, not to needlessly pump out more magic and on things that they can make use present in the situation. After all, why create a magic missile when you could just as easily take ahold of large debris and fling them towards someone? What's more, physical objects cannot be so easily dismissed by people with high resistance to magic. Of course," Asama admitted. "If the person has high resistance to magic, then it would be a safe bet to say that they would have a powerful constitution as well, but that's another matter altogether."

Issei nodded obediently, taking the suggestions into consideration.

"Is overpowering magical constructs bad?" He asked. "Specifically Kanji-based ones?"

"Not necessarily." Asama hummed. "Especially considering the fact that you have the Boosted Gear, possibly the best tool for that kind of thing. In a long enough battle, I am sure that you would be able to defeat even me in a contest of pure firepower.

Kanji-based magic on the other hand really depends on the amount of information linked in the creating itself, as well as the amount of power placed into the writing of the characters. You could link more characters, or pump more magic into the ones you do create. In the case of the one I made earlier, it was the kanji for "barrier" acting as the base for everything, with my will and magic running through it to act as I wished it to. You _could_ overpower it, but it really is a last resort as some kanji-based magic is made improperly and could end up with unsavory results when the connection matrix is disturbed."

Issei pursed his lips, honestly a bit lost. Using kanji as a base was different from how he usually did his magic which was a lot more logical than the kanji of the Japanese onmyouji and the like. From what he gathered, they were powered and backed up by intent, with the circle itself only acting as a sort of middleman between the caster and the end result.

He personally found it ironic that he was better in the western style of casting than the ones that originated in his place of birth.

"Still, Issei-kun, you did very well today. I can really see the improvement; that usage of the environment to create a dust explosion was definitely proof of that. Keep up the good work." She smiled, finishing their impromptu lesson.

Issei grinned at Asama. "Thanks. I'll be sure to remember all of that Asama-nee."

"I hope not." She laughed. "That was a bit long-winded, even for me."

Issei's smile turned a tad bit teasing. "Maybe you're getting senile?"

Asama's good mood immediately disappeared, a pout instantly appearing. "Issei-kun, that's not nice! You know I don't like talking about my age!"

"Hahaha, sorry." Issei held his arms up, expression completely unapologetic. Asama glared at him but before she could speak up, she tilted her head and turned towards the door.

"A visitor?" She said, surprise in her voice. "It seems I've been having more visitors ever since I met you Issei-kun."

"Sorry?" Issei asked more than said.

Asama shook her head, standing up and opening the door. "O-oh! Ajuka-dono." She stepped aside to reveal the figure of the Beelzebub, a somewhat serious expression on his face.

"Asama-san, may I? I would like to talk to Hyoudou-kun here for a moment." Ajuka asked.

"Of course." Asama bowed her head. "I'll prepare you some tea."

"No need for that, thank you." He shook his head. "I won't take long. But, if it isn't too much to ask, may I ask for some privacy?"

"Of course." Asama nodded, leaving through the doorway of the shrine. Ajuka sat in front of Issei, and in any other situation, he would've found the idea of someone as politically and personally powerful as him sitting in front of a quaint table a little laughable. Now it just made him nervous.

"So...Ajuka-san, what do you want?" Issei asked nervously.

"Hyoudou-kun." Ajuka stared at him long and hard. "As much as I want to say this is a friendly visit, I can't. I'm here as the Beelzebub on official duty to ask something of you."

Issei blew air slowly. "I don't think I like where this is going."

"Nothing too dangerous." Ajuka assured him. "Just a bit of scouting, see if my suspicions are correct and all. The chance that you'll run into someone with malicious intent towards you is practically zero."

"Just...just tell me what you want me to do first before I decide." Issei sighed.

"It's simple really." Ajuka laced his fingers on the table. "There've been rumors of a church being attacked in Tuscany. I'm understandably concerned about this, both as one of the Underworld's leaders, as well as someone who fought in the Great War. I do not wish for the younger generation to experience what we have."

"Since it's a church that was attacked, isn't it obvious that the Fallen Angels did it?" Issei asked curiously.

"That may be the obvious conclusion, and for that reason exactly, I want to make sure. Cover all my bases as it were. It could just as easily have been one of ours, or a Stray Devil. It may even have been an exorcist that's grown discontented with the current ceasefire. It may even be another party entirely, an offspring of the Greek gods gone free, or the creatures of legend in the Celtic pantheon. There are just too many possibilities, but the most likely one is truly the Fallen, and I have an idea of who that could be. It would fit with his modus operandi anyway.

Still, accusations would disrupt the current treaty as it is, and I do not wish for that to happen, nor would I like to see infighting between the Fallen. The older devils would cry out to strike them down while they're weak, and the Angels would no doubt join in if they saw us moving our forces. It would be a bloodbath, and one I am not sure we would survive."

"But what about the humans?" Issei interrupted, hands white as he gripped at the handhold of his cane tightly. "What about us, who aren't even involved in any of this?! Are we safe from that war?"

Ajuka bowed his head. "Then you see why I would like to make sure everything does not go awry. Believe me Issei-kun, I care for the lives of humans as much as you do."

"Because you want to turn them into devils?" He snapped, frustration coming from nowhere. "I can see why."

Ajuka looked at him with an understanding gaze.

"Yes. I will not lie to you, that is one of the biggest factors. We devils have a notoriously difficult way of reproducing; the low number of pure-blooded devils can attest to that. We have never really fully recovered from both the Great War as well as our very own civil war, and I suspect we never really will, not in my lifetime at the very least. And it's exactly for that reason that what I am doing is making sure that everyone will be safe from the inevitable shitstorm this is shaping up to be."

Issei drew back at his answer, honestly not expecting Ajuka to swear like that, though he guessed it might be a good indicator that he really was serious about the issue.

"Of course, I'm not expecting you to do this out of the goodness of your heart." Ajuka continued, all business again. "I'm willing to give up some of my tomes and grimoires for this service, one on advanced alchemy perhaps, I suspect that you haven't really touched upon that right now, or maybe something focusing on invocations perhaps? I still believe that spellcasting would suit you far more than invocation ever will, but it is a good idea to know what most magicians prefer to use these days. Learning to tap into a leyline, or to invoke the power of some deities, or even simply harnessing the potential of a locus of power will never be a bad idea after all."

"I'll do it." Issei said. "But..not for the grimoires. At least, not just for that." He amended, a bit of greed showing through as he honestly wanted to learn about those stuff. "I also want to make sure that we...that we humans are safe."

"Good man." Ajuka smiled. He reached into his coat pocket and produced two vials, one containing a pure white feather, the other one of pitch black. "Take a good look at these Hyoudou-kun, and see if there are traces of it in the scene."

Issei reached up and clicked off his choker, committing the numbers of the feathers to memory. The important bits, or at least, the ones he considered important. The feathers were a weird mix of abstract and physical, feeling almost like a concept more than anything else but also being more…..real than reality too, having a weird kind of presence to it.

Issei turned the chokers back on, hiding the numbers before he delved in any deeper than he'd like. He could have spent ages just staring at the feathers, unpacking the things that made it up, but he'd really prefer not to. Just looking at it for a few seconds began to hurt his head.

"Okay. I think... yeah, I think I got it." Issei blinked rapidly, a trick he learned to stop the numbers from clogging up in his head. Useless in the thick of things, but he unconsciously usually pushed the numbers away to focus on what he could use at those moments.

"Good." Ajuka nodded approvingly. "Are you ready Hyoudou-kun?"

"Are you re- Wait, you mean right now!?" Issei's jaw dropped.

Ajuka shrugged. "Any longer and the trail will get cold."

"Wait but-"

"Don't worry." Ajuka assured. "I'll be sure to tell anyone who needs to know where you are. Here take this," He handed the increasingly flustered Issei a pamphlet. "this is a circle that would take you to a set destination, in this case here, when you let your magic go through it. Don't worry, it's configured to your own brand of magic so no one will abuse it, and the paper I used is quite tough, and water resistant, so I'm sure it will survive this journey. Well, not like something big would happen, but this is just insurance. I prefer to make sure all my bases are covered"

"But what-"

"Okay see you in a bit Issei-kun." Ajuka waved, and a circle appeared under him, engulfing the room in a soft green hue. "Good luck."

"Where's my say in this!?"

()()()()()()()()()

Issei opened his eyes, looking around to see an unfamiliar place, something that looked like the inside of an alleyway, with no one else in the area aside from a drunk man passed out against the wall, a bottle of booze in hand.

He sighed, and began his journey to look for a map of the local area. ' _The least he could have done is to give me an idea of what I'm doing.'_

He came out to a street lined with restaurants, hotels and office buildings, what looked liked the business district of the town, or city, or wherever he was. Based on the the signs around him, recognizing them from studying the language- and unless there was another country that predominantly wrote in, and spoke italian- it was Italy because of course it was.

He found no maps, to his utter lack of surprise, so he shrugged and clicked off his choker, approaching one passerby and asking politely. "I'm sorry, but where's the church here?"

"You talking about the one that got busted right?" He said disinterestedly, not even looking up from his phone. He pointed towards Issei's left. "Down there, keep walking. You won't miss it."

"Thank you." Issei bowed, getting a weirded out look in response, and clicked his choker back on again, walking in the direction he was provided. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for, if the yellow tape around the area was any indication. There weren't any of the police or the local law enforcement around, which was a big relief to Issei. Not that he expected there to be any, being around 4 am in Italy, but he he appreciated not having any additional headaches to deal with.

Still, just to make sure, he glanced around, finding no one around, erecting a barrier around the diameter of the church. It was a circle designed to put a suggestion in a person's mind, one that'd remind them of something they needed to do, or someplace they needed to be, to make sure they didn't enter the area.

He entered through the front door slowly, ducking underneath the tape and raising an eyebrow at the damage.

The whole front end of the church was absolutely demolished, the raised platform a mess. The altar that was the centerpiece was cracked in half, the large cross behind it lying in two pieces, one dropped to the ground, the other hanging off the wall, a sad image of what was the symbol of the entire religion. Paintings and statues of saints lay desecrated, deep gashes and puncture holes in the material, and he could even see one statue embedded halfway into the ground. Pews were also thrown this way and that, the windows broken and shattered, colorful kaleidoscopes spread out against the ground.

The most eye catching thing was the blood though, splattered around the ground, against the walls, and even some splashes in the ceiling.

Issei slowly approached the front end, taking in the sight. It was a weirdly vivid scene, and if he were an artist, or a photographer, then he would have gladly taken a picture, an imprint of the scene, of the destruction in the house of love.

But now, he just admired it, the former beauty of the church, the power one would have needed to do something like this.

He approached the altar, picking up a wooden crucifix lying there, perfectly untouched against the disaster around it.

"It's a sad scene, _no?_ "

Issei immediately whirled around, one arm going to his choker, the other thrust out to the origin of the voice.

A construct appeared beneath the figure, and it was an imposing figure as well, six feet at the very least, and was built like a tank, a barrel of a chest, thick neck, thick arms, everything about him was built for power. He was also _old_ , hair already white, his face that looked like a caring grandpa wrinkled.

"Ho?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and looking down on his circle, a vanilla one meant to isolate the man in the diameter, preventing him from moving, allowing Issei more time to think of a better solution.

At least, it should be.

In spite of the fact that Issei was the one who made the first move, the man was perfectly at ease, not an ounce of worry in his body. "Is that how magicians greet each other in your country?" He asked easily, not moving. "Though I guess a scene such as this would make anyone nervous. My name's Vasco Strada. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. And you are?" The man named Vasco smiled pleasantly enough, and Issei remained cautious, picking up his cane from where it fell but not letting his guard down.

"I-Issei. Hyoudou Issei. Nice to meet you." Issei replied, drawing his arm back slowly.

"A japanese mage," Vasco nodded as if satisfied. "and one that practices the traditional way as well. How refreshing. I once used that myself, but I found that Faith is a far more powerful magic for me than anything else. Do you mind?" He gestured towards the circle meaningfully. "I do not have any ill intentions to you if that is what you are worried about."

"O-oh. Yeah. Sure." Issei hastily collapsed the circle, and Vasco looked a bit bemused.

"So easy to trust. That's rare in this day and age, especially in our circles. It would be so easy to lie about something such as that. Of course," The old man held up his arms as a show of innocence. "I do not lie much. Not any more these days. I find it does nothing but put a burden on my conscience, and I am too old for something like that."

"Uh….what?" Issei tilted his head.

Vasco chuckled. "Ah, nothing. Forgive an old man for rambling on." He approached the altar, going past Issei and bending over to pick up the crucifix he had dropped in his haste to defend himself. "Still, to destroy a church such as this, simply dreadful."

"Do you...do you know who did this?" Issei asked, looking around again.

"I have my suspicions." Was the answer he got. "I've felt this power before, many, many years ago, but angels, Fallen or otherwise, rarely change."

"So it's a Fallen who did this?" Issei said with interest. He got his answer quicker than he expected to. Still, to make sure, he clicked his choker off, observing the details all around him. He ignored everything unimportant and looked for the signs of the occult.

"I'm all but sure of it."

He found it a second later, an imprint of magic in the air. Issei followed the trail where it was thickest, barely noticing Vasco following him, leading him to a section of the floor that was buried by rubble, a spot that was basically identical to everywhere else.

"Oh? So you know where the chamber is?" Vasco murmured. Issei created a circle, pushing the debris away to show a door, broken in and hanging off it's hinges, the wood barely even keeping it together. It looked like it was supposed to be hidden by something, probably a piece of stone that looked identical to everywhere else,

Issei went down the stone stairway, his new companion following easily behind. The section opened up to a bare room, with only a single lightbulb as an accessory. It shined beneath the only thing that really stood out in the room, a raised, circular platform that stood at around Issei's waistline. It had two prongs set into its top, obviously supposed to hold something.

The thing it held was also obviously taken away, the magic around the platform broken and torn to shreds, a bit recently too in fact, as the source was still running, albeit weakly.

"It held something special you know." Vasco said softly, reverently. He approached the pedestal, running his hands over the top. "The pride of this humble church. It found a home here, and while it didn't get much use, it was still a powerful deterrent, a symbol for the peace I find possible between every one of us. Still," Vasco sighed. "the fact that the sword was stolen, an act of such wanton violence against us is a good sign really."

"How so?" Issei asked, coming to stand beside Vasco even as he took note of the fact that there was a sword there. He felt the power that had once been contained in the pedestal, could almost _taste_ it, and wondered at how powerful the sword was.

"It means," The old priest turned and looked at him, a smile halfway between grim and satisfied pulling through. "that whoever did this has realized that we are one step closer to peace and wishes to disrupt that chance before it can grow."

()()()()()()()()()

"So how was Italy Hyoudou-kun?" Ajuka asked Issei when he cleared the circle, dropping back into Asama's shrine. "You meet any new girls to prey on?"

"Haha." Issei deadpanned. He realized that the one he was talking to was someone who leads the Underworld, an entire civilization that humans didn't know about, but he didn't really revere the man like some did. When he found out about the Lucifer's power and came to the realization that Ajuka Beelzebub was equal to him, it scared him, but only for a short period of time. Now, he just thought Ajuka was an ass. It was surprisingly easy to get along with him after that. "No one you _should_ be interested in."

Ajuka smirked. "The achievements I did because of my _hobby_ is a list of things I _shouldn't_ have done. They got me the position of Beelzebub, Chief Advisor of the Technology Department, and lord of gluttony. Not _everything_ that you shouldn't do is a detriment to growth Hyoudou-kun."

"Excellent words." Asama said meaningfully from her side. "Though I do hope you know when to rein yourself in Issei-kun. Breaking past your limits are good and all, but it's incredibly easy to also break _yourself_ when you do that."

"Yes mom. Yes dad." Issei rolled his eyes.

Ajuka and Asama chuckled. The Beelzebub shook his head in amusement. "What did you find out Hyoudou-kun?"

Issei grew serious. "There was definitely a Fallen Angel there."

Ajuka sighed, but otherwise, didn't look surprised. "Yes, I think I have a clear idea of who did it."

"There's something else." Issei said carefully. At Ajuka's look, he continued. "I met someone named Vasco Strada."

Ajuka's eyebrows rose. "Oh? I didn't expect him to be there. What did he say?"

"That a Fallen Angel did it." Issei said with a shrug. "He also told me about a sword that was stolen from the church."

Ajuka stilled. "Of course." He whispered. "That's why he attacked it, not to start a war, but to prepare for one… or rather, to take away the enemy's weapons before the fighting even starts. I forgot just how clever he can truly be."

"What happened?" Issei asked uncertainly.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Ajuka drank all of his tea in one go. "I need to talk to my fellow leaders. Excuse me." He stood up and made to leave through the door. "Oh," Ajuka stopped, looking back to Issei. "Expect the grimoire to arrive at your home sometime today. Good day."

Asama and Issei shared a look.

"What just happened?" Issei repeated.

Asama shrugged. "Politics I would suppose."

The two of them drank their tea.

True enough, later on, the grimoire _did_ arrive at his house. Issei just didn't expect it to be delivered by a courier service.

()()()()()()()()()

"He's onto me!" A voice snarled, the source shoving the delicate glassware, each year's salary worth of a common worker, onto the ground carelessly, shattering it to pieces. "He knows what's going on!"

"Diodora-sama." One of his servants stepped forward, one of the braver ones, moving to place an arm on his shoulder. The back of his palm struck her cheek a moment later, and she fell, crying out as the glass, crafted from the heat of a dragon's breath, dug into her sides, lacerating her midsection.

He felt a little bad for her, really, it wouldn't do for her to go and die, wasting all his efforts to take her and make her his, but he was pissed at the moment, and he needed to let it out. He was afraid too; he knew more than almost anyone else how terrifying his older brother could get when given the proper incentive, and him being affiliated with a terrorist group, one that was interconnected with a faction that was _against_ the current leadership would definitely be a good reason to get angry.

"My, my, someone's in a snit." A voice came from behind him. He turned, bad mood souring even further at the appearance of the Leviathan (she claimed to be the Leviathan at least, despite not being anywhere _close_ to Serafall's power). "One of your girlfriends managed to escape you?"

"Finally managed to win against Serafall, bitch?" Diodora asked scathingly. He never did like Katerea Leviathan, not her attitude, not her appearance, and he downright _hated_ just how much of a self-righteous bitch she is.

Katerea scowled, but immediately schooled her features to be one of friendliness. "Now now, no need for that. We are allies are we not?"

"No." Diodora glared. "We're only under the same figurehead. I don't agree with your ideals 'Old Satan Faction'."

"Agree or not," Katerea said nonchalantly, sitting on the couch gracefully. "We're going to be stuck together for quite some time. Besides, you aren't doing anything besides going after those holy maidens of yours. It would be nice to have a cause to fight for, wouldn't it?" She asked, voice like honey.

Diodora paused. It really did sound nice. He spent his whole life doing nothing of note, spending day after day hunting after his hobbies, shoving them to the side once he was bored of them. Having something bigger than him to fight for….it certainly had its appeal.

Then he remembered his older brother, the absolute beast of a devil, and he remembered that that was the kind of thing he would have to fight once he had entrenched himself as part of the Old Satan Faction. The answer was obvious to him at that moment.

"I can't join." He said. "I'm too weak to fight against any one of the four Maou. You are too. You can't beat those monsters."

Yes, joining these people looking to overthrow the current system would do nothing but get him killed. Dying for a cause you believed him was a worthy prospect, but he ultimately valued his life more than that.

"Too weak?" Katerea muttered, looking at Diodora with a speculative eye, one that just _screamed_ she knew something he didn't. "Well…I wonder about that. After all, you've never had the pleasure of having Ophis' snakes inside of you. It's _amazing_." She licked her lips, eyes glazing over even as her thighs rubbed together, and the one arm not visible to Diodora began to move in a decidedly unnatural manner.

He sneered at her in disgust, turning away from whatever she was doing in his couch. Ultimate-class devils, whether they were doing a seduction play or not, were supposed to conduct themselves in a more proper manner, especially in the presence of those they didn't trust, and he highly doubted that Katerea put any modicum of trust in him. He didn't trust her back, not at all, but he felt that that bit about Ophis was the truth, something to entice him into joining their cause.

Diodora heard about the stories of Ophis' snakes, of course he had. He may have been in the Khaos Brigade to further his own purposes, but he wasn't a complete idiot.

They said that taking in the Dragon God's snakes would let your power reach incredible heights. They said that nothing could ever compare to the knowledge it would grant you. They said that the snakes would be the greatest thing a person could ever had recieved in their life.

He also knew how strong Katerea Leviathan and her allies were, and it was for that exact same reason that he wouldn't back them up.

They may have been powerful, but they weren't wholly deserving of the title of Ultimate-class devil. They got the title as a gift, a placeholder, nothing but empty honors given to them because of who their ancestors were.

That 'honor' of theirs gave them the idea that they deserved to rule the Underworld, that they were somehow superior to Sirzechs Gremory, Serafall Sitri, Falbium Glasya-Labolas and Ajuka Astaroth, who clawed their way past thousands of their own kin to be granted their titles.

They couldn't ever hope to equal the Lucifer and Beelzebub, devils that had been granted spots on the Top 10 Strongest Beings in the world.

"One day." He replied instead, watching as one of his peerage cleaned up the mess he made. He wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean, but whoever said there was a rule that you had to know what you were talking about to be successful?

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **I'm sorry that this chapter is much shorter than usual. My last month was spent on college things, projects, presentations, a play, finals etc so I didn't really find much time to write. Coupled that with the fact that I might fail a subject, I was pretty stressed.**

 **At least I've officially finished my freshman year though. So that's pretty fun.**

 **Reviews are both helpful and appreciated**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

Initially, Michael wasn't sure about Gabriel's decision.

Oh sure, Issei Hyoudou _was_ loyal enough to their cause, being a priest for years now and even recently being promoted to bishop after that fiasco with Kokabiel, one of the youngest ever to achieve that rank at the age of 17, barely out of childhood even. But….well….Issei was kind of perverted.

Sure, he was instrumental in the protection of Kuoh Town, which was his childhood home, gaining the trust and gratitude of the little sisters of both Sirzechs and Serafall. Sure, he _had_ been able to exorcise demons and Stray Devils and the like with frightening ease using the Longinus, the Red Dragon his Father had sealed into those Sacred Gears of His. Sure, he is acknowledged as one of the strongest fighters in the history of the Church, right up there with Vasco Strada and Dulio Gesualdo. Some would even say that he was stronger than Griselda Quarta.

All of those were true, and yet none of them changed the fact that Issei was a hormonal teenage boy who, whether by luck or misfortune even Michael wasn't sure, was almost always, ALWAYS surrounded by women of inhuman beauty that tempted him from his position as a priest albeit one that didn't take a vow of celibacy.

Case in point, Issei could barely even look anywhere without seeing a _bishoujou_ , Gabriel on one side, Serafall, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri on another, and Grayfia along with two Queens on the last and he made good use of the opportunity presented to him.

Now, his sister Gabriel had enthusiastically suggested that he, Azazel and Ajuka work together to establish Heaven's very own revival system, similar to the devil's prized Peerage Pieces.

()()()()()()()()()

"Issei, are you sure about this?" Michael asked, months later, their new Brave Saint system finally done.

"Of course Michael-sama! It's an honor to be the first person ever to be raised as an angel since God first made them Himself!"

' _Actually, Metatron-dono holds that title.'_ Michael decided to forego that little tidbit and smiled at the visibly nervous yet excited teenager in front of him. "Azazel, do it."

His fallen brother raised a single card, an Ace of the Spade suit, his very own set, and placed it upon Issei's chest.

All at once, Michael suddenly felt apprehensive about this.

What if it failed? What if Issei's body rejected it? What if his _Sacred Gear_ rejected it? Would he die? Would his soul be obliterated?

A second pass and all his fears were assuaged by the soft pillar of light that surrounded Issei from sight, too bright for even the angels to see.

After it dimmed down, they saw Issei in his new angelic splendor, pure white wings of the softest feathers spread out behind him, an angelic halo sitting gently atop his head. All of that however, could not begin to compare to Issei's beaming smile.

"Michael-sama! I'm an angel now!"

"Yes, I see that Issei." Michael smiled and placed a hand on top of Issei's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"I swear, I won't disappoint you! I will make you proud! You won't regret it Michael-sama!" Issei grinned.

()()()()()()()()()

"I'm deeply, deeply sorry Michael-sama."

The Prince of Hosts rubbed at his head while at his side, Azazel laughed boisterously, clapping his hand on his Holy counterpart.

"Don't worry Michael. I'll still lend him to you from time to time."

"I'm so sorry!"

Kneeling down on the ground, Issei's black wings drooped down as if even they could feel his depression.

It didn't even take 24 hours….


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

Issei blew out air from his puffed up cheeks, idly fiddling with his crutch with one hand even as the other twirled his pen around, mind drifting off as he leaned against the tree where he was sitting in Kuoh's grounds, the Student Council's shunted off paperwork almost forgotten by his side.

The old man Vasco Strada's words still lingering on him even days later.

' _It means, that whoever did this has realized that we are one step closer to peace and wishes to disrupt that chance before it can grow.'_

A peace between the Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels...really didn't matter to him in all honesty. Sure, he'd probably celebrate that event with Sona, Tsubaki, the Student Council, and even the Occult Research Club with whom he'd made tentative friends with if they threw a party, but he wasn't really all that affected by the peace itself.

A _war_ on the other hand, would probably, most likely bleed through from the supernatural and into the lives of the normal world, and he had no desire in the least to live through one of those. Hell, if a war _did_ break out, and he really hoped it wouldn't, then he just _knew_ he'd be roped into it one way or another.

Asama said as much when she was telling him about the Boosted Gear, that he would be a game changer sometime in the future, so it wouldn't be a huge leap in logic to assume that the factions would look for him.

Issei sighed deeply, giving up resistance and rubbing at his forehead. This really was so above his payroll it wasn't even funny.

"Problems in paradise Issei-kun?"

He felt a small barrier be erected around him, and Issei rose an eyebrow as one Rias Gremory sat beside him, close enough that their elbows were brushing against each other.

"What do you want Gremory-senpai?" Issei asked, smoothing himself over to be polite then deciding it wasn't worth the effort to go all out.

"That's a bit harsh Issei-kun, don't you think?" The beautiful redhead smiled, not showing an ounce of her supposed discomfort.

' _Shit.'_ Issei thought, fighting a battle with himself in an effort not to blush in her presence. It was a pretty hard feat, considering that she was the number one idol in the school for a good reason. It was even harder to _not_ let his eyes wander down, all the more sosince Rias was almost _baiting_ him into looking, and he just knew that she knew, with the coy tilt to her head and the touch of smugness in her lips along with the way she just subtly showed herself off.

Actually, thinking back to all the times that he's seen her around, maybe that was just her natural state of being.

Still, Issei refused to acknowledge that, partly because he wanted to find out the real reason Rias Gremory was talking to him, partly because he didn't want to make the current situation uncomfortable for him, and just him because there was simply no way Rias Gremory wasn't used to being stared at, looking like she did.

"You can take it. I believe in you Gremory-senpai." Issei said in the blandest voice he could muster. He cracked a bit sure, but he was pretty proud of himself for the effort considering his current situation.

"You love being sarcastic, don't you Issei-kun?" She asked casually, holding an arm out, a single leaf falling into her palm. She blew onto it gently, sending it flying away.

Issei shrugged. "I picked it up somewhere along the way."

"Oh?" Rias rose a curious eyebrow. "So you weren't always the dashing, knight in sour armour you are right now?"

"Oh no, I was always this cool." Issei's lips twitched.

Rias laughed, and Issei once again saw just why she was the most sought after person in campus. "You may not believe me, but I find you so easy to talk to." She glanced to the side, eyes soft. "It's a bit weird since I don't have a lot of male friends. The people I meet are usually too busy staring at me as a Gremory." She sighed, and Issei could almost detect a sense of...loneliness in that. "I'm proud of my heritage, believe me, but sometimes, I just want to be me." She blinked, and, Issei couldn't quite believe his eyes, blushed. "O-oh. I didn't mean to tell you that. Sorry if you feel I'm being a bit too open Issei-kun."

"I don't mind...Rias-senpai." Issei reluctantly said. It was against his nature as someone born and raised in Japan to use a girl's first name, especially someone like Rias freaking Gremory, so casually, but he couldn't find it in himself to refer to her by her last name after a short speech like that.

Issei reasoned out to himself that semi-regular contact between him and her was enough justification for his usage of her name. Their relationship however, was usually Rias complaining to him about what happened in her job as a devil whenever she found him sitting late at school, during those days he wasn't at Asama's.

Rias paused, surprise etched on her whole person, from the widening of her eyes, to the small 'o' her mouth formed. Gradually, her lips turned into a satisfied smile, eyes shining. "Have I finally gotten through to you Issei-kun?" She teased. "Have I finally managed to make you fall for me?"

Issei rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Rias-senpai. You still haven't answered my question."

"Well," Rias hummed. "You looked like you had a lot on your mind, so I thought that I, as your senpai, should offer to hear your mind."

Issei blinked at stared at her, a sudden question popping up in his head. "How old _are_ you?"

Rias immediately pouted. "Not that kind of thing! Though if you must know, I'm just 17."

"Huh." Issei tilted his head at her. "I honestly thought you were older."

"That's rude." Rias huffed. "Though I guess it does make some sense. Devils _can_ be long-lived. My own Onii-sama is older than ."

Issei was privately surprised at that. He knew Sirzechs was old, but he didn't know he was _that_ old. "Can't really tell with you devils can I?"

"Rude." Rias repeated, though her lips twitched into a smile. "So? What were you ever so dramatic about just now Issei-kun?"

"I wasn't that bad." Issei clarified to her. "And I was just thinking about... stuff." Issei hurriedly changed the word at the last second. He had no idea whether or not she knew about the things going on between the Church and the Fallen Angels, and if she didn't, then Issei didn't want to be the one telling her. That kind of thing should come from her older brother, or any of the other leaders of the Underworld.

"Ah, 'stuff.'" Rias' smile widened, and Issei blushed, turning his head away from her. It didn't help, as he could practically _feel_ her gaze bore into him. "Such a deep topic Issei-kun. Care to share?"

"S-shut up." Issei muttered, cheeks feeling warm. "It's just...it's not exactly the kind of thing I can share with...anyone really." Yeah, details about that hint at a potential war wasn't something to be discussed with a schoolmate just barely older than him.

"Puberty?" Rias teased lightly.

"Haha." Issei deadpanned. "No. Just...private things I suppose. You understand right?"

"Yes." Rias said softly. "Yes I do."

There was a silence between the two of them, neither willing to break it as they each returned to their thoughts.

Finally, Rias stood up, brushing nonexistent dirt off her clothes, her crafted barrier collapsing in on itself with her movement.

"Well, it's been fun Issei-kun, but I have an appointment today, and I can't afford to miss it. No sense in tarnishing my name after all, even if it _is_ for you." She winked at him, Issei answering by rolling his eyes at her. "I know you'll miss me, but please bear with it."

"I'm sure I'll live." Issei said dryly. He took ahold of the paperwork and held it up. "I have something to distract myself with anyway."

"Sona's such a slave driver." Rias shook her head in mock admonishment. "I could treat you so much better in my peerage." She held a hand to her hips, taking out a single chess piece from her pocket, a Rook. "Are you interested?"

"No thanks." Issei brushed off. "I like being human thank you."

"Ah well." Rias sighed, putting it back from where she took it. "It's a standing offer Issei-kun, though it might get taken off the table at any time Issei-kun, so choose quickly."

"I'm sure Rias-senpai." Issei drew his knees up to his chest, going back to work on the paperwork. "Don't let me hold you up."

He felt Rias stare at him for a little while more before she went back to what he assumed was her clubroom.

Issei shook his head. "Well that happened."

()()()()()()()()()

Issei, Matsuda, and Motohama exited their classroom, grinning as they almost burst through the door, hurrying to go to Akihabara to claim their reserved game from the shop they became regulars at.

They read the reviews in the weekly magazine and it was enough to pump them up for the game. Of course, it also got confiscated considering they were reading it in the middle of class, but Issei considered it worth it. It was a pretty easy decision since it was Motohama's too.

"Want to stop by the cafe near the store after? I heard one of their maids got a big break in the music industry." Matsuda offered to them.

"The one you have a crush on?" Motohama wiggled his eyebrow at him suggestively.

"N-No!" The shaved highschooler coughed, shaking his head furiously. "I just...shut up." He growled as Issei and Motohama snickered at his expression.

Issei looked to the gate of the school and stopped as he saw Kiba Yuuto, rejecting yet another proposal by another girl. Said girl, a first year probably, blushed and bowed to him, running off giggling to her group of friends.

There it was again, and this time, Issei was sure of what he saw. The loneliness in Kiba's face, drifting across his face as he was sure that no one was around to see it. Once again, he schooled it into his usual mask of pleasantry, and almost no one even noticed. No one except Issei.

Issei moved quicker, feeling a little bit awkward at it. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Matsuda and Motohama exchanged glances before catching up.

"What's up?" Motohama asked.

Issei ignored him, determined to catch up to the blond. He cleared the gate, already making his turn.

"Hey Kiba." He said outloud, stopping the devil in his tracks. He slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Issei-kun?" He asked curiously. "Do you need something from me?"

"Not really." Issei scratched at his cheek. "It's just...wanna come with us?" He gestured towards Matsuda and Motohama, the two of them blinking in surprise at what he was doing. "We're gonna go over to Akihabara and I thought that, you know, you'd, uh, like to join us or something?" Issei trailed off, the last bit more questioning than anything else.

Kiba stared at him, and Issei squirmed under his gaze, made all the more worse when he felt Matsuda and Motohama do the same, practically boring a hole in the back of his head.

"Why?" He drew out slowly, tilting his head at Issei.

Issei shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know." He admitted, embarrassed. "Maybe you want a game or something?" He coughed into his hand when Kiba just continued to stare at him, eyes unreadable. "I'm guessing that's a no. Uh, good day I gue-"

"Are you sure?" Kiba cut him off, eyes still that unreadable grey, the clouds that hint at a coming storm.

Issei blinked, straightening up at the answer. "What?"

"Are you sure? About me coming with you?" Kiba nodded towards Matsuda and Motohama, standing behind him. "Are you sure I won't be a bother?"

"They're harmless." Issei dismissed. "They might be perverts, but they won't actually do something illegal." Issei paused for a while, adopting a thoughtful expression. "Peeping isn't illegal isn't it?"

Kiba actually, finally, laughed at that, shaking his head as he followed Issei who grinned at him. "Yeah, I guess I could come with you."

Issei immediately heard a wave of whispering spread across the grounds of Kuoh as the two of them began to walk side by side. Rumors would no doubt be rife with what had just happened. "But seriously, peeping isn't illegal right?"

Kiba, Issei found out later on, wasn't as out of touch with his manly side as he thought. He knew a surprising amount of things about the video game and anime industry, if not exactly all that invested in it. Issei, Matsuda and Motohama tried to find out several times through the day on just how he knew about stuff like that, but the blond just gave them that close-eyed smile of his.

Still, despite their lack of mutual interests, Matsuda and Motohama tried their best to make nice with Kiba, though Issei could tell that the two were confused as to _why_ exactly Issei just suddenly invited Kiba to go with them.

Issei appreciated it, though there was still the occasional awkward silence where Kiba was left hanging and the three of them inevitably fell back to routine.

Issei actually considered it a pretty good effort, for all of them. They weren't exactly the most social of people, all three of them getting so used to being with each other since middle school that branching out wasn't really that much of an option.

The three of them managed to bring Kiba around to the idea of buying a console and some games- and damn was he loaded. He bought them with the money he had _on hand_ \- and had now settled in on the cafe that the three of them regularly frequented.

Of course, as per usual, Matsuda somehow roped Issei into one of the dumber arguments that was possible.

"I'm telling you, asses are better than boobs!" Motohama insisted while Kiba put on a strained smile and Matsuda stayed as far away as physically possible from them on their table, determined to ignore the two of them.

"How?" Issei countered. "Breasts make women look more motherly, while asses do nothing! Therefore, biologically, breasts are the superior asset. It's evolution speaking, not me."

"You want to talk evolution? Back when mankind walked on all fours, there is always, always one thing in front of us, and that is the butt! When we stood up on our two legs, the butt went and away and was replaced by boobs! Women grew larger breasts to replace the the butt, but the original source of life was the buttocks! Boobs are nothing more than a pale imitation of buttocks! And the original will always surpass the fakes!"

"You're an idiot of you believe that!" Issei argued. "That's just a theory and you know it!"

"You're both idiots." Matsuda muttered, and Kiba smiled briefly at the rebuttal. That smiled quickly turned to an expression of confusion when Issei and Motohama turned to him.

"You, bishounen!"

"Kiba!"

They said simultaneously, staring at him seriously.

"W-what is it?" The blond asked, closing his eyes and smiling nervously.

""Tits or ass, which is better?!""

Matsuda groaned when almost the entirety of the cafe stopped their studious ignoring of the quartet's existence and openly stared in shock. They returned to their business quickly enough, but the fact that every one of them broke face to stare at them was notable enough.

"Well, I would have to say...both I would guess?" Kiba said, managing to ignore what was going on and answer the utterly pointless question. "After all, women aren't just breasts and bottoms, but a combination of those and others. The perfect figure isn't just decided by those, but other things like their waist, their legs and other. A woman that's just breast or just a bottom isn't really as good as a girl that has both of them and more….right?" He trailed off when the three of them stared at him in wonder.

To his consternation, the three of them began to clap lightly, nodding at him in approval.

"Truly a wise man has come down upon us." Motohama said with a note of appreciation.

"I think I see why you brought him with us Issei." Matsuda added, crossing his arms across his chest. "He just _knows_ how it works man. A bishounen like Kiba just lives in a different world from us. It's a good thing for us low-level plebs to be in his gracious presence."

Kiba blinked, turning to Issei as if asking for help. The latter just shrugged, turning to the server that had finally come with their orders, though with her slightly strained smiled, Issei guessed that she probably got the short end of the straw. "Here you go sir."

"Thank you." Kiba smiled, and as always, with that damned bishounen effect he had, the girl blushed, smiling widely as she skipped over back to the counter. She was immediately swarmed by her coworkers, giggling and looking back over their table or, more specifically, Kiba.

"I take everything back," Matsuda growled, glaring at Kiba as he cracked his knuckles. Issei discretely looked over to see that the girl who had served them was the one Matsuda was crushing on for the last few weeks. Or was it months? "He's an ass and let's hold an inquisition to burn him."

Issei rolled his eyes and attempted to placate the idiot. It didn't really work, and somehow, the four of them got into a peace, a discussion on what the Occult Research Club was like when they were on the way to buy some ice cream, and somehow got into _another_ argument, pissing over several innocent passersby with their antics.

Still, Issei thought as the three of them waved goodbye to Kiba as he separated from them on his way home, seeing him genuinely smile like that, a smile different from the mask he had put on probably made the whole thing worth it.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei glanced up from his book in slight interest as Kiba approached their table with a slightly awkward expression. His eyes flicked to the side as the whispers began to start up, even seeing some girls leave the classroom with their eyes wide open, probably to spread the word of what was going on. He did privately snicker when one of them nearly tripped over, would have if not for someone walking behind her holding her up.

"So what's up?" Issei asked, flipping to the next page. He bit at the end of his pen, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he looked from it to the piece of paper on his desk, wondering on the validity of the magic circle illustrated in the light novel and calculating if it could do the job the text said it did.

It said that the circle 'forcibly drags an angel from heaven' and Issei had absolutely no idea what the hell that entailed, if that was even possible in the world, or what 'transfering the insides and outsides' even means.

"It's just…" Kiba looked to the side, scratching at his cheek. "Can I eat lunch with you guys?"

"Sure."

"Yeah."

Matsuda and Motohama shrugged, the former standing up to give his seat to Kiba, sitting on his desk. Kiba blinked at their answer and uncertainty sat on the offered place, unpacking his lunch.

"So you finally played with your console?" The glasses-wearing highschooler asked, chewing on a sandwich.

"Oh yeah." The blond nodded. "I just got to the part where the protagonist signs his name on the entrance sheet though."

"You started with that one?" Issei looked up, putting down his work. "Then again, that _is_ the best one out there."

"Are you kidding me?" Motohama interjected. "He may be cool, but the other dude can summon Izanagi and make him kill his little sister. That's badass. And a bit weird now that I say it outloud."

"He can summon Death _."_ Matsuda joined in. "He can summon _Death._ Need I say more?"

"That's….okay, you have a point, but still!"

Kiba turned to Issei uncertainly who just shrugged in reply. "He _is_ the best character in a video game."

That phrase spawned yet another deluge of arguments, counterarguments and fact-checking that swept Kiba and Issei up in its wake.

Kiba was a surprisingly good moderator and judge despite knowing almost nothing of what they were talking about, listening in to proposals and the like with a non-biased perspective.

It was a bit refreshing really, and it was obvious that Matsuda and Motohama also appreciated having a sounding board to bounce ideas off of, enough so that Kiba nearly got called out by their teacher on next period.

Every girl in the classroom, and some more stationed outside the doors, just stared at Kiba, then at the three of them after he left.

"Is this what we're gonna look forward to when we associated ourselves with him?" Matsuda muttered.

Issei snorted, shutting up when the teacher arrived to start next period.

The day was, like a regular school day, lax after that, the next three periods passing by quickly. Issei nearly passed out in Modern Japanese, Matsuda actually giving up the effort and actually falling asleep halfway through.

The bell signaling the end of the day was greeted with much enthusiasm by the students after that, most of them standing quickly to leave the hell that was school.

"So you passing by the Student Council today Issei?" Matsuda asked, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Yeah." Issei held up a sheaf of papers. "Kaichou asked me to do some of their paperwork again."

"Really." Motohama sighed. "You're doing their job for them and you aren't even a part of them! Are you _sure_ you're not in the student council yet?"

Issei shrugged. "I think Kaichou wants me in it. Maybe she'll invite me next year or something. Well," Issei scratched his cheek. "not like I'd accept the offer."

"Eh? Seriously?" The two of them exclaimed, almost at the same time. "I thought you were seriously considering joining them." Matsuda continued.

"Eh." Issei shrugged. "I like helping them, but I'd prefer not having a club to go to just because I'm required to do it."

"Good luck telling her that." Matsuda told him. "Anyways, going home now. See ya."

Issei waved halfheartedly, leaving the room to make his way towards the Student Council room. "Kaichou." He knocked on the door politely, opening it to get inside. "I brought the papers. Ah."

Issei paused, stopping at the open doorway as he was greeted by the sight of two new faces.

"Hyoudou-kun." Sona nodded in greeting. "This is Momo Hanakai and Tomoe Meguri. Hanakai, Meguri, this is Hyoudou Issei."

"H-hello." Issei nodded politely even as the two bowed in return. "Um, Kaichou, are they...you know-"

"They know." She told Issei. "I've briefed them in on the situation."

"Kaichou-san!" The one with red-brown hair raised her hand as if asking the teacher a question. At Sona's nod- the president must have gotten used to it already- she asked the question. "Is Hyoudou-kun a devil too?"

"No he isn't." She explained, her eyes drifting to his. "Though that may change. Do you want to-"

"Sorry." Issei cut her off with an apologetic smile. "But I think remaining as a human is in my best interests for the foreseeable future."

"I see." Sona accepted. "I understand your decision. Still, I would have liked to have someone like you in my peerage. Having a magician with your ridiculous learning curve would have been one of the greatest boons I could ever have had."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence Kaichou." Tsubaki drawled from where she was doing her part of the work. "That warms my heart as your Queen."

"Shush you." Sona said with a twitch of her lips. "Go back to work."

Issei saw Tsubaki shake her head with a smile, returning back to her papers. "So um, nice to meet you Hanakai-san, Meguri-san. I just came around to drop these off. I'm going to Asama's today."

"At least I'm sure _she_ won't be influenced by you." Sona rolled her eyes, taking the offered sheaf from him. Issei blinked at that.

"What are you talking about?"

"The school's saying that you and your friends' have been pretty close with Kiba lately." Tsubasa chimed in from her spot in the room.

"Yes, and while I appreciate your efforts, this institution doesn't need any more perverts like you guys."

"Hey!" Issei protested, waving his crutch around. "We've been useful members of society these days."

Sona stared at him and very, very slowly drew a magazine from one of her desk compartments. Issei coughed in embarrassment and looked away. "Okay, in my defence, that's not mine. I was just holding onto it for Matsuda."

Sona rolled her eyes and tossed it back in. "Just...don't turn Kiba-kun like that. I'm sure a majority of the school's population would riot if you ever accomplish that."

"We won't." Issei held up an arm as a promise. "I swear that I'll try my best not to turn Kiba into a raging hormonal monster that'll attack any girl he sets his eyes on."

"Hearing you say it like that makes me want to slap you." Sona sighed. "Sure sure, just...say hello to Asama-san for me."

"Will do." Issei gave her a thumbs up. "See you later. And it was nice meeting you Hanakai-san, Meguri-san. Do your best as devils, and remember: Kaichou isn't all that bad. She may be a bit awkward to get along with at first, but you'll get-"

"Don't say unnecessary things Hyoudou-kun." Sona said chillingly. Issei grinned at her and turned to leave, a chorus of 'see you's and 'sure's met his back, even from the two newcomers.

()()()()()()()()()

"Asama-nee." Issei said after their usual ritual of tea preparation-her ritual really- was set.

"Yes Issei-kun?" She asked, bringing her cup to her lips, closing her eyes in satisfaction at the taste and smell of her drink. "Ahh~ Nothing like tea after a hard day's work don't you think?"

"Yeah… No I mean, Asama-nee, I've been thinking for a while, why exactly is that sword such a big thing?" It really had been, what with the threat of a war hanging over his head.

Asama pursed her lips, staring at her tea. "Do you know what that sword was in the first place Issei-kun?"

Issei shook his head. Asama smiled and began to explain. "I personally do not know either." Issei's eye twitched, opening his mouth to retort. Asama held up a hand to stall his words. "Let me finish Issei-kun."

His mouth snapped close, nodding his head slowly. "There really are only three such swords that would warrant that much of a reaction from a Devil, a priest as esteemed as Vasco Strada, and one of the leaders of the Fallen. Those three are Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. Durandal is out, for the simple reason that it, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't been taken out of the heart of the Vatican since decades ago. Caliburn has been taken in by the Pendragon Family after the Great War, and any such movement by such a sword wielded by a prestigious family would be found out by the supernatural community for the simple fact that it's the most powerful Holy Sword in existence.

That just leaves Excalibur, the sword of Promised Victory, and the most likely candidate for a theft."

"Why?" Issei asked, right hand reaching for his left as he felt it stir at the mention of the blade. "Why is it the most likely?" There was a bit of excitement at knowing that Excalibur of all things was real. It _was_ the basis of a _lot_ of in-game items and was popular even in Japan of all places.

"Because it's broken." Asama leaned her head back. "The sword crafted by the God Himself, wielded by King Arthur, the bane of Devils and Fallen Angel alike, shattered into 7 pieces."

"How was it broken?" Issei scrunched up his eyebrows. Wasn't Excalibur supposed to be unbreakable with +50 to sharpness, Light and other buffs?

"No one really knows." Asama hummed. "Some say it was during the Great War. Other records claim that it went further back than that. Still others say that Excalibur is whole, the shards merely failed projects given to hide the Church's strength while the true blade is hidden somewhere in the Archives of the Vatican. It's all speculation of course, and there really is no sign of the mystery being solved any time soon. What really matters is the truth, and the truth is that it the Church says they are broken, and that there are seven other blades that have the smell of Excalibur on them.

That alone makes protecting it harder. I've heard that the Church spread out the shards over to several of its sects, but that can only do so much as that incident has proved. If what I am predicting is correct, this would happen two or three more times before this Fallen Angel really shows his hand. Perhaps a blitzkrieg on the Vatican itself, or an assault on the Eastern Orthodox, maybe even a strike in England's Protestant Church. I have little experience with Fallen Angels, but I would assume that is how they would start a new Great War if they truly are determined to do so."

"If...If a war starts, would us humans be affected by it?" Issei asked slowly. He knew what the answer was, already got one from the Beelzebub himself, but he wanted to hear what exactly it entailed, so he rephrased his question. "What would happen if the war started, right at this moment?"

"Well…" Asama tilted her head. "I am not familiar with the protocol, but based on what I've seen, I would hazard that if a war between the Abrahamic Factions were to erupt right now, every Devil, Angel, and Fallen in unprotected land would be contacted by the higher ups to go back to safe territory such as the Underworld, Heaven, and the Grigori Institute. A lockdown would follow next, curfew implemented as the leaders of each Faction discuss the state of their nation, plans of attack, defense and the like. Political ambassadors will be granted rights to leave, or will be killed, depending on their hosts, but that would open up yet another set of problems.

Intelligence, counter-intelligence would happen, propaganda too probably, not all that different from a war between humans I admit. Though of course," Asama chuckled bitterly. "The Three Factions and Humanity today are so intertwined that both of your conflicts ended at basically the same time."

"Eh?" Really?" Issei's eyes widened. "Wait...are you talking about-"

"Yes." Asama let a small smile onto her lips. "World War 2 was the backdrop of one of _the_ biggest supernatural events in recent history. The tensions between the Abrahamic Factions' cold war reached its peak, and would have exploded if it wasn't for the leaders holding their people back. The Greeks, I believe, lent the Angels some of their power, though the gods themselves refute that claim. The Fallens had the backing of the Norse while the Devils dealt with an entire string of minor deities, though again, they all refuse to confirm that fact. The Fae began to move because of the damage being done to the earth, while other nature spirits began to migrate in numbers not seen since the advent of steel and smoke. And of course, we in Japan were not unaffected too. I myself am proof of that." She shrugged helplessly, a bitter smile in place.

"How do you _know_ all this?" Issei stared at her. "Aren't these the kind of things that are like, super super secret?"

Asama let her smile grow very slowly, expression turning very smug. "I have my sources Issei-kun. It is one of the things I am most proud of."

"Then what happened to you? You said you were a goddess right?" Issei asked. "'Cause you were so angry at Yasaka-san and everything."

Asama closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, sighing through her nose. "I guess, spending all this time with you, I can find it in me to place my trust in you." She admitted a tad reluctantly. "Issei-kun, in truth-"

Issei's ringtone suddenly rang out, Issei flinching at the noise, pawing at his pocket to get his phone out while Asama leaned back, bringing her cup to her thinned out lips, nodding and giving him a go ahead.

He finally got it free, looking to see that it was an unfamiliar number. He blinked, opening the line and holding it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Issei." Ajuka's voice came over the line, and Issei immediately knew it was serious. His tone, the frankness, and the mere fact that he called him by his name was all indicative of that.

"What is it?" He replied with the same tone.

"Do you remember Asia Argento? That nun from Italy?"

"Y-yeah." Issei blinked. "Wait, why do you even know-"

"My little brother, Diodora, he's going after her. I need you to stop him."

"What are you- wait, why-"

"It would take too long to explain everything about that." Ajuka snapped at him. "If Diodora snaps Argento up right at this moment, war _will_ break out, I promise you that. A devil taking a nun in church-owned territory _is_ grounds for the declaration of war. We cannot afford that happening Issei, not the Devils, nor the Angels and the Fallen. And this time, we may not be able to stop this. Our people _will_ ask for blood, and Falbium agrees with me when I say that there is no way for this to end other than in the complete and utter annihilation of our faction."

A circle opened up by his side, the green of Beelzebub shining bright.

"Issei, you are literally the only one I can go to for this right at this moment. Believe me, if I had any other choice, I wouldn't go to a high schooler that does not deserve to be part of an incident that could safeguard the future of my race, but you are one of my only contacts unaffiliated with any faction as well as an unknown factor for nearly all of them. That gives you a bit more leeway in this matter.

But it's your choice Issei. If you back out, I understand."

' _My choice?'_ Issei thought even as he shut off his phone, walking towards the circle, crutch thunking against the wooden floor. ' _That isn't a choice at all. The world's at stake, of course I'm going to do it.'_ The image of a blonde, smiling cheerfully at a stranger, so willing to help people she didn't even know, flashed in his mind. ' _There's no way I'm leaving that girl alone.'_

Issei turned to Asama, even as he stood in front of the magic circle, just waiting for his magical input to be activated. "See you in a bit Asama-nee."

"Good luck Issei-kun." Asama nodded. "Remember your lessons."

"Of course." Issei grinned cheekily, tapping the side of his head with his left hand. "I got it all in here."

He disappeared a moment later, covered by a green light.

Asama stared at the spot he had just occupied. She sighed, cleaning up the table.

"Change is coming." She muttered to herself. "And Issei-kun is going to be standing right in the middle of it."

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Okay, so I did some math about DxD. Turns out that Vasco Strada is 87 years old and since I estimate that DxD is at the 2010s, then the cardinal was born at around the 1920s. The books says that 'in his youth, he fought and cornered Kokabiel in the second World War' and if it's true, then he managed to equal or even beat a Cadre, a leader of the Fallen Angels when he was between 17-23. For a normal Human, without a longinus or Sacred Gear to help him, armed with nothing but a Holy Sword (albeit one of the strongest ones out there), training for less than 2 decades of his life, that is INSANE. How the hell did he even reach that far with just training?**

 **Nothing, just found that tidbit curious.**

 **Speaking about curious tidbits: MIMORI FREAKING SUZUKO VOICES OPHIS? SHE VOICES FUCKING OPHIS IN DXD?! ONE OF THE RAIBUS ACTUALLY PLAYS A CHARACTER IN DXD? LIKE HOLY SHIT, WOW, THAT ALONE JUST ELEVATED HER TO ONE OF THE TOP SPOTS IN THE BEST GIRL LISTS IN DXD(Incidentally, they're all in there. They just go from bestest, to bester, to best). DAMN, THAT'S AN IMPRESSIVE VOICE RANGE, I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE HER.**

 **Also, someone pointed out that Issei calling Asama as "Asama-neesama" is a bit awkward for a teenage boy like Issei to actually do, and Asama-nee fits a whole lot better, because calling someone "Sis" is a lot better and more natural-sounding than "Respected Older Sister" and while Issei does respect Asama, he's also the type to not get too hung over the respect thing till situation dictates so.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated.**

 **P.S.**

 **No omake this time. Have no idea on what to write.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

There was no more uncertainty to be had, he decided, even as unease stabbed at his stomach. He had decided on his course of action and had taken it, damned be the consequences.

There was just no way he could leave someone like Asia Argento alone, especially now of all times. With her golden blonde hair, her beautiful, naive green eyes, she had captivated him the moment he had laid her eyes upon her.

He wondered what that innocent face would have looked like when he got her thrown out of the church. What taste would that despair have? That hopelessness? Her anger?

Just the thought of it was nearly enough to make him lick his lips, but he controlled himself.

High-class devils were expected to hold themselves with more dignity after all. No, those thoughts would be come when her despair hit its peak, that's when he would come and break her.

At least, that was his plan. But the stress of looking over his shoulder, looking for any signs that his older brother had caught onto him; flinching every time a knock came from his door, expecting the worst to come only for his servants to arrive bringing a message, food or what else has taken its toll.

He had gotten bored of his servants, all of them.

Asia Argento though, she was a breath of fresh air, an almost sickeningly sweet and pure girl that didn't fit this fucked up world. She was the only thing that could calm him down right now from all the stress, all the troubles he was going through.

And since his plan, be her hero, make her love him, and finally break her, would take far too long, then breaking her in front of the altar of her god would work just as well.

Diodora Astaroth's lips curled into a wide grin as Asia Argento walked out into the morning sun.

His wings unfurled behind him even as his previously set up barrier sprang to life, a passive one that 'encouraged' people to stay away from the general area, into one that made sure the ones inside were isolated inside a psuedo-dimension, a creation he had his older brother to thank for.

He launched himself towards his target.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei rushed through the streets once the circle deposited him into the grounds of Italy, nearly ripping apart his choker in his haste to click the device off, his leg supported by a circle crafted under his foot, painstakingly created as a way for him to be able to move quickly when the need arose, moments such as this one where a...friend? Acquaintance? Ally? He didn't know what to label Asia exactly, but he knew that he wanted to save her from being the starting point of a war. A girl like her didn't deserve that dishonor.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of thoughts before they distracted him too much.

Right foot down, form circle underneath. Take the force of the leg pressing down on the ground, siphon it towards the center of the circle, angle it towards the direction of choice, let it push against the bottom of his sole.

It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough, and for the moment, 'good enough' was pretty much the best he could hope for.

It was...actually less awkward to move that way, less awkward than his usual gait anyway, and if it wasn't for the fact that the circle was highly visible, he would have used it in his everyday life to be able to walk semi-normally again. Well that, and the fact that suddenly gaining the proper motor functions would have been pretty suspicious, especially to his doctor who fully expected it to never fully heal.

He ran, not being able to help but to feel a certain sense of exhilaration at the simple act, something he had taken for granted for so long in his life. Feeling emboldened, he put a bit more magic into his circles, flooding his body with magic like Asama had taught him, strengthening his body to the limit he estimated his body could safely take, and moving faster and faster until the world was a blur of motion, nothing more than a background to Issei.

He passed by buildings he didn't recognize, cursing Ajuka that the didn't deposit him closer to the church. There were hundreds of them, and he didn't even _know_ where Asia was based at, though when he passed by a somewhat familiar park, he knew he was getting closer.

His hunch was correct when he saw magical barrier in front of him, crude and hastily made. Easily bypassed. He crafted a 'knife' in his head, parting the construct without collapsing the whole of it, passing through the pathway without once stopping, guessing that the strands from the dome lead to Ajuka's younger brother.

As he went along the cobbled roads, the 'scent' of magic in the air grew older, one he wasn't familiar with, more potent somehow. It was magic, undoubtedly, but it wasn't magic he recognized and probably wasn't even a school he could _use._

Issei shook his head, following the path of the strands, as well as the source of the dome barrier over the place which lead to the same direction.

He stiffened when the barrier suddenly changed, and he pumped more magic into his circles, creating one under both feet this time, making him cover a lot more distance.

He arrived at the end of the road he was taking, just in time to see one Asia Argento leaving the inside of the church, clutching a woven basket.

A movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention as Asia paused to look at Issei, tilting her head. "Issei-san?"

"MOVE!" Issei yelled, even as he extended an arm towards her, erecting a barrier just in front of her. Barely even a second later, a blur slammed into it, all that momentum suddenly stopped by an almost-rock solid shield of magic and hardened air.

The figure snarled, picking himself up, ripping his coat away from his body, slamming his hands against the circle, and Asia cried out, stumbling towards the ground, eyes wide.

Issei growled, throwing his arms to the side in a tearing motion, and the circle suddenly glowed from blue to red.

The six points inscribed on the circle collapsed, turning into one with three points. The magic inside it suddenly destabilized, fluctuating dangerously, almost exploding the circle altogether. Issei didn't resist, instead encouraging the magic circle to go wild.

With an upset circle like this, there really was no other choice for the magician to take other than to control it, or let it dissipate in an explosion.

Issei took the latter option, pointing the impending disaster straight at Ajuka's little brother.

The pent up energy slammed into his chest, the sheer violence of the act launching him backwards, back slamming against a nearby house. Issei winced as the wall actually crumbled a little, an imprint of him visible when he fell to the ground.

"Hey Asia." Issei greeted, approaching the blonde carefully, keeping an eye on Diodora. "It's been a while."

"Wha-what's going on?" She stammered, looking back and forth from the two figures. "Issei-san what-"

"I just had to deal with something." Issei sighed. "And it just so happened that you were nearly involved in it. I really didn't-" Something inside Issei roared at him, and he moved before he even heard Asia's cry of warning, twirling behind him and stomping his foot on the ground. Hard.

He remembered Asama's piece of advice, about using the environment to his advantage, that the greatest magicians in the world made use of what was available rather than waste unnecessary energy to create anything, whether it be an attack or a defense, when a replacement was readily on hand.

So Issei pushed his magic to the ground, letting it dig under and into the bedrock, looking for any imperfections. He let his magic expand, pushing up and into the slab of rock, lifting it up with surprising ease, hiding Issei and Asia in its bulk. It tanked the blow easily, the front half of it exploding into a multitude of tiny pieces, but the back half, filled with magic as it is, survived relatively intact.

Issei 'grabbed' onto the shattered remains, packing it closely together into a dense spear about a meter long. He created another circle, and used it to force the spear forward, launching it towards Diodora.

He saw the devil's eyes widen, holding his hands out and creating a barrier between him and the spear.

It impacted with the force of a bullet train, and Diodora yelled out as the momentum of the blow nearly shattered his construct on its own.

Issei's eyes narrowed in focus, observing Diodora's staggering form with his full attention. He knew this moment of vulnerability was going to last for only a second or two.

So he reached out, creating a binding out of his magic, and snaked it over to Diodora, wrapping it around his wrists. Issei closed his hands around the construct and pulled, sending Diodora skidding to the ground.

"What? Who is he Issei-san? I'm so confused." Asia asked, looking absolutely lost.

"It's nothing you have to worry about." He smiled at her in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "There was just-"

The feeling of his magic wearing and tearing caught his attention. Issei groaned and turned around reluctantly. "Of course it isn't ever that easy."

He was met with Diodora Astaroth on his feet again, teeth gnashing even as his whole body moved, straining against the binding Issei created.

Issei sighed in resignation, rune-empowered circles already at the forefront of his mind. "I'm _so_ going to milk this for all its worth." He complained, placing his new shackles over Diodora.

He blinked in surprise when he was suddenly met with resistance, his magic almost being 'refused' entry. He tried it again, harder this time, pumping more magic into it.

The resistance suddenly strengthened, straining against Issei's and even actively pushing against it. Issei covered his eyes as Diodora suddenly exploded, a primal roar of triumph coming from him.

The devil was breathing heavily, hair plastered to his face with sweat, but there was no mistaking the sheer anger in his eyes. "Who the _fuck_ are you?"

"I'm...not telling you my name." Issei told him with face that said 'are you an idiot?'. "You're Diodora right?"

The devil's eyes narrowed at him, before recognition shone through. "You're my older brother's pet project."

"Couldn't you use a better term?" Issei muttered. "Like, coworker, or friend."

"Tell him I am doing nothing wrong!" Diodora snarled. "I've been doing this kind of thing for years now, and he's never spoken up till now! If you go away right at this moment, I'll forgive this slight to my honor and let you go. In fact, I'll even let you play with Asia Argento after I'm done with her, just to show you that there's no hard feelings."

"First of all, ew" Issei said blandly. "Second, yeah no. Asia here is a friend, so I'm not leaving her. And lastly, if _you_ leave right now, I'll tell your older brother that there's nothing to worry about any more."

Diodora sneered at Issei, stalking towards him with a predatory kind of grace. Issei reached to Asia and pushed her behind him, shielding her from the gaze of the devil.

"Big words from a man that goes to another, like a bitch that comes crawling to its master after being challenged. All bark and no bite." He spat. "Scared that you can't do anything to protect Asia? That you'll be too weak to do anything meaningful?" His eyes left Issei's instead looking straight over his shoulder. He felt Asia tense up behind him. "I'll break you Asia Argento. I will _fuck_ you right in front of the altar of your God. I will make you scream His name while I violate you in every possible way. I will make you cry and scream, and I will make you completely mine. I will break your will until you cannot live without me, Asia Argento. I will make you love me, I will become you one and only god."

"STOP IT!" The blonde yelled, clutching at Issei's back. He felt her shaking, could almost _taste_ her fear, the hot tears against him evident. "JUST...STOP!"

"You," Issei said in genuine disgust. "You're...I don't even have any words for you."

Diodora spread his arms wide. "I am what I am. Is it so wrong to stay true to what you are?"

"It is if you're going to cause a war." Issei interrupted him before he could get going. He's seen enough anime to know that this is the part where Diodora would monologue, and he really didn't want that.

Diodora rocked back as if slapped. "What are you talking about?"

Issei's eyes widened. "Oh. You...you don't even _know_ what the hell is at stake don't you?"

"Drop the condescension and just tell me." Diodora growled.

"A war just nearly broke out because of you, dumbass." Issei replied heatedly. "A devil abducting a nun in front of church territory is grounds for the declaration of a _war._ What the hell do you even hope to do?"

Diodora scowled. "It's none of your business."

"I'm making it my business." Issei said quietly.

Issei and Diodora stared at each other. Issei's lips thinned. Diodora's sneer grew.

They moved at the same time, magic circles forming left and right.

A spear of air hurtled from one to the other, only to be met with a magical barrier.

A lance of energy was redirected to the side, mere inches from hitting its target.

A circle that heavily multiplied gravity was avoided by taking to the air.

From there on out, it only got more annoying for Issei. Fighting someone who could fly around made them it a hell more difficult to land hits.

So Issei improvised. He locked onto Diodora's being, following the streaks of magic and his self he left behind, and unhesitatingly took to the air.

It was like a dogfight, two airborne units throwing magic at each other with the intent to harm and maim and, in Diodora's case, maybe even kill. They dodged and rolled around through the sky, all three dimensions being utilized to the extreme.

It was a bit difficult for Issei, trying to throw around magic while flying around at the same time. He's never really done it before, combat while in the air that is. And it tempted Issei, sorely tempted him to just use his Boosted Gear. It would have made it so much easier, but he remembered Asama's piece of advice, that revealing it to the world would just put him in the crosshairs of a _lot_ of powerful beings.

Still, the annoyance of fighting a flying target with his usual style, ordered magic of pinpoint accuracy and focused power, was putting him in a rather irritable mood, all the more so when he just _knew_ he could take Diodora on in a head-on fight, not this evasive potshot-taking bullshit he was pulling.

He was a few seconds away from deciding to just do it when an interference came in between them.

An interference in the form of a small flock of Fallen Angels.

There were a dozen of them, a majority of them with a single pair of wings, a few of them having four wings all in all, and one with six wings leading the group.

"Oi!" The leader yelled at the two of them, folding his arms across his chest. "What the _hell_ do you two retards think you're doing?"

Diodora and Issei glanced at each other in a sudden moment of unity.

"Having fun?" Issei asked more than he said.

Six Wings scowled at them. "Well whatever the fuck you're doing, I don't like the looks of it."

"We'll leave." Issei held his arms up, shooting a look at Diodora and hoping to everything that he'll get the signal. He didn't of course, didn't even look at him really.

"Oh no you don't." The Fallen interrupted. "A devil and a magician fighting in front of a church? And is that a member of the clergy behind you? That's suspicious, deeply suspicious ya know? And I hazard the Church would _thank_ us for taking the time off our day to save one of their own right guys?" He called out behind him.

There were a few unenthusiastic 'yes's and a number of mumbling, but other than that, there was nothing that showed their reaction.

"Well then," He turned back towards the two, looking a bit pissed at the lackluster answer. "I'm off to do some good in the wo-"

Issei really did expect it when Diodora lashed out, coils of magic lunging out to hit the Fallen Angel.

It sent the leader sprawling, right into the midst of the flock behind him. The devil went right for Asia, wings spread out behind him, an intense look on his face.

"Oh no you don't." Issei growled with clenched teeth. He formed a length of chains made from magic and wrapped it around Diodora's ankle, making sure to put more juice into it to bite into his resistance. He pulled hard, sending Diodora face first into hard concrete.

He turned around just as a Fallen Angel was pulling up on him, swinging a sword of light as his neck. Issei stomped his foot on the ground and the circle that formed underneath the two flung the warrior into the air with a startled scream. He recovered easily enough, his wings making sure of that, so Issei followed through with slamming him into the ground with a hammer of air.

Issei whirled around just in time to catch Diodora's gout of flames that was aimed at his back. He caught it, repurposing the wall of fire into a lance and sending it to a nearby fallen that was headed towards him. It struck his shoulder, instantly cauterizing the hole where flesh was supposed to be. His comrades let their blades disappear, dropping to their knees to help him and Issei considered them as out of the fight.

Something caught his eye, and Issei flung his hands outward towards it. His magic travelled into the light forcibly, and he screwed up the thing that held the blade together.

The Fallen cried out a strangled yell as the thing he held in his hands suddenly exploded in his face. Diodora's eyes widened, turning to see the enemy behind him.

Issei, satisfied that he made sure Ajuka's brother wasn't killed, went back to what he was dealing with, the Six Winged Fallen Angel.

"So...you have _some_ semblance of skill after all." He sneered derisively. "Though I guess that the uselessness of _these_ could contribute to this humiliation." He suddenly snapped his arms out, sending out a spear of light aimed right between Issei's eyes.

A circle opened up in front of him, absorbing what light it could take in and deflecting to the side the rest of it.

Issei retaliated by condensing the light he took in, forced it in the shape and size of a bullet, and fired it, a miniature sonic boom following in its wake.

He merely tilted his head to the side, letting it pass by him calmly. Issei grinned and snapped his fingers. The 'bullet' suddenly exploded, and Issei controlled that violent influx, harnessed it and made it stronger, sending all of it straight towards him. It sent the Fallen flying to the side, skidding against the ground several times before coming to an abrupt stop against a wall.

Issei, having watched more than enough anime, sent his magic to grab onto the water from a fountain and began to force it to move in a vortex, grinding onto each other, making it as dense as he could, and launching the torrent at him.

Six Wings stood up and held his hands out in front of him, actually _catching_ the wave of water, grinding against his palms but slowly, visibly, it began to actually stop.

Issei scowled, forcing more magic into it and actually nearly slipped when Six Wings did the same, power suddenly increasing.

With a roar, he tore _water,_ freaking _water,_ to shreds.

"I underestimated you." He growled, breath coming in violent pants. "It seems that I have to be serious about this after all."

Issei's mind immediately switched between one circle to another, dismissing designs that he deemed useless in the situation and storing those he could make use of.

He was getting tired, his magic reserves nearly at the halfway point already.

Asama had warned him of this, had told him that he had only reserves that was average for a human.

It had grown of course, something about his core growing and expanding with each usage, but apparently, as right now evidence, it wasn't enough for him to be able to throw magic around as he wished. Not yet anyway.

"Now, let's fight little magician." Six Wings cracked his neck. "Let me see if you are-"

An explosion suddenly caught his back, sending him stumbling. Issei immediately seized the chance, tapping his crutch on the ground, bindings of magic taking his stumbled form, grabbing onto him and pulling him into the ground. He tapped his crutch again, runes carving itself on the bindings.

Diodora ran over him, literally ran over the body, and towards where Issei and Asia had their backs to the entrance of the church. "You have any plans now?" He asked, voice acid.

"The church?" Issei asked Diodora, already making his way to the doors as the group of Fallen Angels rushed at the two of them, a veritable wall of spears heading straight towards the magician and the devil.

"I can't." The devil said gruffly. "I need to be invited into it." He set up a barrier right by Issei's, tanking the blow for the both of them, a few deflecting off of Issei's.

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF RULE IS THAT?" Issei yelled out, a wave of force erupting from him, not doing anything but stalling the Fallen Angels for only a few seconds. He hissed as a stray spear managed to nick his leg while he was distracted.

"It just works that way okay!?" Diodora yelled right back, harassing a few of the Fallen that got a bit too close. It didn't really help though, as they slowly but steadily advanced towards them "Chapels are okay, but Cathedrals like this need a special invitation, and I'm not strong enough to go through their threshold!"

"U-uh, Mr. Devil." Asia said meekly. "I-if I was the one to invite you, then would it be okay?"

"Yes!" Diodora bit out, grimacing as a stray spear of what looked like light and magic slammed into his defensive circle, the construct nearly sputtering out.

"Then, please come in." Asia said from behind the two of them.

Diodora instantly turned tail, a circle launching him towards, and into, the ajar doors of the church. Issei followed suite, a circle behind him doing the same, grabbing Asia as he was in the air, landing on his feet, but skidding right into the first line of pews. Somehow, Issei had let Asia go the moment before he impacted,

"Ow." He groaned, letting go of the blonde. "You okay Asia?"

"I'm okay Issei-san." She confirmed, kneeling down to help him up. "Here, let me." Green light colored her arms, the soothing feeling of it fixing the pain of his cut leg.

"Thanks." Issei muttered a quick word of appreciation, walking towards the door. " Diodora, the cathedral keeps the Fallen away too right?"

"I guess so." The devil muttered, peeking out the door. A spear of light instantly traveled to pierce his face, fizzing out a few feet away from the door itself. "Yeah. The defenses of this church is pretty strong. If any of those with four wings come in here forcefully, I'm pretty sure they'll die."

"Good for us." Issei snarked. "What about Six Wings over there?" He nodded towards the aforementioned leader that was even now seething, wingtips pointed at them threateningly, stalking circles in front of the door, apparently getting rid of the bindings easily.

"I think half of his power will be left at the threshold if he passes through, so I wouldn't worry about him." Diodora dismissed, turning back towards Issei. "The question is, what are _we_ going to do now?"

"Let's just get out." Issei immediately said. "I'll make a circle... right...now." His eyes widened, a realization hitting him.

"Churches don't allow transport circles to work in them, dumbass." Diodora rolled his eyes at him. "The only way is, again, with special permission by a priest of the church or to brute force your way through it. I say we just kill those Fallen; pick them off from here."

The church suddenly shook, literally shook, dust and debris being shaken from the ceiling. "Are you freaking kidding me?" Issei growled. "What the hell is it now?"

"Yeah, did you think they would just stand there and let you plan?" Diodora asked, scowling. "I hate this kind of shit. Let's just kill them and be done with it."

"Do you _want_ to start a war?" Issei snapped. "Because I sure as hell don't. Let's just escape, no more complications."

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry great and powerful Archmage. Of course _you_ can think up of a way to fucking craft a transport circle inside a Cathedral with one of the most powerful thresholds I've ever seen. It's just another walk in the park for you right?"

"I don't need your sarcasm." Issei rubbed at his temples. "Do something useful while I actually _think_ of something okay?"

"Suck a dick." Diodora sent out a magic missile out towards the Fallen, not doing anything but to annoy them. Issei scowled, taking a good look at the makeup of the 'threshold' of the cathedral.

It _was_ magic alright, or at least, a school of it. He _still_ didn't understand how it worked, there were no circles involved, no math to be delved into. It was as if it was just _there._ "Did it just appear or something?" Issei muttered. "There's nothing _in_ here."

"It's Faith Issei-san." Asia explained quietly behind him. She clasped her hands in a prayer, bowing her head as she knelt on the pew. "The power of God is what's protecting us."

"Yeah well, could you ask him to send more help." Diodora grunted. "Because I'd _really_ appreciate some right now!"

Asia ignored him, apparently deep in prayer.

"Well she's useless." Diodora looked over to Issei. "You are too. Come here and actually _do_ something."

"It's impossible." Issei agreed with a sigh. "I just don't understand the foundations of this kind of magic enough to be able to unravel it."

"No shit." Diodora said, voice dripping with contempt. "Hurry up would you? I'm pretty sure the barrier around the church is about to drop, and if it does, I'm getting the hell out of here."

"Let it drop." Issei suddenly said. Outside, Six Wings yelled out.

"Don't worry Sister! We're here to save you! And if the way to do that just so happens to be by killing the devil, then so be it! Even though I don't like this, we have to! For justice and that kind of thing." Another shudder hit the church, a bigger one this time, and Issei waved a hand in front of his face as a cloud of dust fell onto him, coughing slightly.

"Are you high?" Diodora deadpanned. "We're going to be butchered if I let them in."

"No, I have a plan." Issei said, crafting a circle in his mind's eye, taking one part of it into action. "They won't expect us to counterattack."

"Yes...Yes they are." Diodora said slowly, as if speaking to a particularly slow child. "They'd be _idiots_ to not expect something like that. Those guys aren't those one-dimensional villains you see in your TV shows that can't think for themselves."

"...You watch TV shows?" Issei rose an eyebrow. "Just trust me on this okay?"

"I literally have no reason to trust you with my life." Diodora accused.

"Then think of it as me saving my own." Issei assured him. "I want to get out of this just as much as you do, believe me."

Diodora glared at him suspiciously before giving a small nod. "I can get behind that." He acknowledged.

The door slammed inwards, the threshold reaching its breaking point and collapsing inwards, not able to withstand a determined assault from a horde of Fallen Angels.

 **[Boost!]** His gauntlet declared, the form of Twice Critical taking shape onto the back of his left arm. The increase in power almost made Issei grin, the circle he's made taking up the width of half the doorway. Another, unseen by the Fallen, had formed underneath the entirety of the church.

Gravity was suddenly gone in the confines of the building, pews and chairs and anything not bolted down beginning to float away.

In comparison, the circle at the doorway intensified in power, taking the gravity in the span of a circle two hundred meters in diameter and compressing it into a point less than a tenth its size, only made stronger by Issei's own magic being pumped into it.

It also wasn't a constant thing, the entirety of the forces only being put into a singular output.

The 'push' of the sudden wave propelled the Fallen back out into the area in front of the church. Issei immediately followed through, the circle underneath his feet dying down, grabbing onto a few pews, launching them at the disoriented bunch.

All but one hit its mark, catching four of them perfectly, including two of those with four wings. It sent them hurtling even further away, hopefully out of the fight really, though Issei didn't sure as hell count on it

"Just give up." One of them told him quietly, the closest one to him when they assembled into a semicircle in front of Issei and Diodora. Six Wings stayed behind this time, a cruel twist to his lips. "Please. We do not want to hurt you, nor do we want any of ours to get hurt anymore. Ariel is not our true leader, he's just the one in charge until Orphiel comes back. I swear on my life, we _will_ not harm the three of you and I _will_ do everything it takes to make sure everything is sorted out. Please."

Issei paused, looking into his eyes and seeing a kind of sincerity there, as if he really _was_ telling the truth. He hesitated, and looked to the side and saw the Fallen Angels to the side, the one with a hole driven straight through his shoulder, the other laid out flat on his back, blood running down his head.

He saw what looked like a hint of _fear_ in some of the Fallen Angels, those with only a single pair of wings making themselves as much of a small target as they could.

Issei suddenly realized just _how_ destructive the battle was, pieces of the earth gouged out, walls in various buildings torn down, burn marks scorched in a variety of places, all under the light of the noon sun.

"Don't listen to him." Diodora growled beside him. "They Fell for a reason. You can't trust a Fallen Angel's word."

"Not all of us are like that devil." Four Wings continued, still in that quietly pleading tone. "Some of us just want peace, to stop all the fighting. Is it so unbelievable to you that we just want to live our life without some bullshit war forcing us to fight and kill and _die_ for a cause we don't believe in? For a War that I don't even know the reason for?"

"Well said Shaquiel." A voice calmly said from behind the line of Fallen. Issei could almost _see_ the relief in his eyes come to light, Six Wings stiffening up. "That's exactly why we avoid fighting. No reason to die for nothing right? There's a ceasefire for a reason you know?" He turned towards 'Ariel', eight pitch black wings spread out behind him. "You _do_ know what my orders were Ariel, yes?"

"But sir-" He started to explain, only to be cut off by 'Orphiel'.

"I don't care what reason you have. I made my orders _very_ clear, that you are _not_ in any way to engage in any kind of combat unless you yourselves were attacked first." Orphiel turned towards Issei and Diodora, the two of them tensing. He snorted. "I doubt _these_ two idiots are the type to attack you without provocation. Are you?"

Issei, despite the insult, actually smiled, finding it surprisingly easy to deal with this somewhat responsible leader figure. "No sir."

"That's that." Orphiel rolled his eyes. "So Ariel, mind going to Azazel-sama and telling him just what you did here?"

"You can't just take the words of an enemy over your own lieutenant!" He exploded, glaring at the Eight Winged leader.

"Yes I can." Orphiel replied calmly. "I know you Ariel, and I know just how much of a blood knight you are. But I never expected you to be _this_ bad. In fact, I think Azazel-sama assigning you as my second was a mistake. I'll ask him to demote you somewhere lower. Might even grind the idea of humility through that thick skull of yours."

Ariel grit his teeth, though from the looks of the other Fallen, he might not be the most popular person around.

"So, as for you two." Orphiel turned to Issei and Diodora, raising an eyebrow at the Twice Critical on Issei's hand. "I'm sorry for what those under my command has done to you." He bowed low, sounding sincere. "I take full accountability for what happened, and I will set things right."

Diodora's eyes glinted, mouth open to say something before Issei elbowed him with a glare. He drew back with a scowl, crossing his arms. "As long as you fix everything here," Issei gestured to all the destruction around them. "Then it's fine."

"It is not." Orphiel insisted. "Your lives were endangered for almost no reason at all. I will take it to Azazel-sama and ask that you be compensated for this."

"Uh...thanks?" Issei asked.

"We humbly accept." Diodora demurred, suddenly looking like one of those pretty boys in anime and manga, not a hair out of place. "I place my trust that you would give that compensation to house Astaroth of the 72 pillars."

"Of course." Orphiel nodded. "And you?" He asked Issei.

"Just...send it to Ajuka-san." He said reluctantly.

"The Beelzebub?" Orphiel tilted his head. "Then, if you say so."

"Still with that caring nature Orphiel?" A voice above them said, the sound of it like a symphony, an orchestra.

It was on golden wings did the star descend upon the earth, beautiful and awe-inspiring, burning itself into those who would gaze upon its radiance.

 _I am but One of Four,_ the light seemed to say, and of Authority and Power did the voice ring out, not a voice to be heard, but a voice that was felt, experienced, one that touched the very souls of those who basked in its presence.

"It's been a long time since I've had to use my Grace," A voice said, somehow more solid this time, as if speaking in the same plane of existence Issei was on. "and I came here late. Not much to add to my reputation I admit."

He landed softly upon the ground, wisps of ethereal fire breathed into life by his simple presence, by the mere fact of his being.

"And I find one of my Fallen brothers already dealing with the mess in which one of our own asked for assistance. Hello Brother Orphiel." He smiled, the radiance of the sun in it, the brilliance of the stars in his eyes.

"Uriel-dono." Orphiel smiled, bowing his head in deference. "It's been far, far too long since you've been here on Earth. Since the World Wars was it?"

"Ah yes." The Angel said, a hint of melancholy drooping his eyes. "It was in this land too I believe, when Humans birthed a sun in the midst of their enemies. A tragedy of lives, but an advancement for the ages. Sometimes, I am afraid for them and sometimes, I fear them. They have grown so much."

"Why are you here, if I may ask?" Orphiel tilted his head. "It is not like you to do this."

"Michael's orders." The smile was back, tilting his head to the church, and as if on cue, Asia came rushing out, a sparkle to her eyes, wonder filling the emerald orbs.

"I see." Orphiel smiled. "Then we will take our leave." His contingency of Fallen straightened up, not a few of them throwing Uriel a few looks, ones of wonder, fear, and everything in between. They took to the skies, a black cloud passing.

"A real Angel-sama." Asia whispered, looking up at Uriel with adoring, worshipful eyes. "A real Angel-sama, and it is Uriel-sama Himself. Oh, what do I do?" She turned to Issei, eyes still holding that sheen to it. Issei shrugged, uncomfortable while Diodora looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Hello Asia Argento." Uriel smiled down at Asia. "We have heard your prayers, and while I apologize for being late, it all worked out didn't it?"

"Oh yes!" Asia clasped her hands eagerly. "God has a plan for all of us!"

Issei heard Diodora wince beside him while Uriel's smile looked like it dimmed, probably half a bulb's worth of light.

"Yes He does." Uriel cleared his throat, the gesture so human, so different from Issei's first impression of him that it threw him back a little. Still, after being exposed to so much life-changing revelations in his life, his being crippled, knowing of the existence of the occult, laws of the universe being broken right in front of his eyes, he's grown rather blase about the whole thing. "But Asia, I am here for a reason." He knelt down, looking at Asia right in the eye. "I want to take you to a better place.

"Wait what." Issei recoiled, placing himself right into the conversation again. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Uriel blinked at him before recognition dawned on his face. "Ah, I guess that was a poor choice of words. What I meant to say was, Michael-sama believes that there is a place where you can help more people. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes Uriel-sama!" Asia cried, tears running down her cheeks even as a wide grin overtook her lips. "If it's the Angel's wish, then I'll gladly do it!"

"Thank you Asia for doing this." Uriel beamed at her. "Then go, pack up your things. I'll be having a talk with these two gentlemen here."

"Okay!" Asia rushed into the house, ignoring the fact that the outsides of it looked scarred and battered.

"I'll be going now." Diodora immediately said, turning tail to run away while the opportunity allowed him to.

"Wait." The angel's voice stopped him in his tracks cold. "Diodora-san was it? Ajuka's little brother?"

Diodora went back reluctantly, resolutely staring everywhere other than Uriel's general direction.

"Thank you."

Diodora broke face, startled, eyes wide at Uriel.

"I know that you planned something for Asia, but the fact that you saved her in her time of need, that you helped defending her from those that tried to do her wrong, I thank you for that. From the bottom of my heart."

Diodora, nonplussed, created a circle underneath him. "I didn't do it for her!" Before Uriel could answer, he disappeared.

Issei scratched his cheek, swinging his crutch around. "Well, I'm not needed anymore." He said outloud. "So...I guess I'll go home then."

"Wait please." Uriel requested. "Before you leave, may I ask who you are? And why did you help Asia Argento?"

"I'm Issei. Hyoudou Issei." He bowed, his upbringing making himself known before his mind could catch up. "I saved Asia because she's a friend." At Uriel's raised eyebrow, he added an amendment. "And because Ajuka asked me to stop his little brother from causing a war."

"I see." He murmured, gaze burning through Issei's self. "Then my gratitude, and the gratitude of all my brothers and sisters go to you."

"Uh...thanks." Issei muttered. "So...I'm uh, I'm going home now…Unless you need me for something?"

The Angel shook his head.

"So uh...yeah. Thanks I guess." Issei waved, slowly walking away, a deep exhaustion sinking into him with every step. A few seconds later, he realized that he had a problem. "How the hell am I going to go home?"

()()()()()()()()()

"Azazel-sama."

"Oh you're back? How was your patrol Orphiel?" The leader of the Grigori hummed, peering closely into the latest of his projects. "I'm sorry I had to ask you to pull over to Poland, but well, magical eyeglasses." Azazel held up a frame proudly. "When I complete these, I might finally even be able to gaze upon Gabriel's perfect form in all of God's infinite craftsmanship!"

"Okay Azazel-sama." Orphiel sighed, more than used to his bouts of eccentricity. "I brought the focusing crystals you've asked me to bring. And the patrol was more of a headache than I've thought."

"Oh?" Azazel reached into the bag, taking one of the crystals out and looking at it critically. "It's a bit clouded, but within the margin of error I guess." He mumbled to himself, ruffling through the bag of the stuff.

"It was Ariel." Orphiel said, dead serious. "Azazel-sama, I know you believe that he deserves a chance to be a leader, and I respect that, but he's done something out of bounds today."

"He's lost his last platoon to devils Orphiel." Azazel sighed. "I know he's a bit trigger happy, but everyone deserves a second chance, especially one with such potential as him."

"He nearly caused a war Azazel-sama."

"Tell me." Azazel dropped the bag on a nearby table, full focus on Orphiel. "What did he do?"

"He nearly killed the little brother of Ajuka Beelzebub."

"Diodora?" Azazel groaned. "Oh this is going to be a shitstorm. So what happened? Do I need to sound the horn for an incoming war? Do I pull out every single one of my ambassadors right now?"

"No Azazel-sama. In fact, it's been handled quite neatly. There have been no deaths, no abductions or hostages, only a few injuries on our side, but most of those cases are minor and the others are expected to live. I just wanted to inform you that a magician was involved in this case."

"A contract of Diodora's?" Azazel asked. "How powerful was he? Did you manage to figure out what cabal he was part of?"

"I didn't see a link between Diodora and the boy." Orphiel said carefully. "And I didn't manage to link his magic circles to any cabals I know of. And, if my theory is correct, he's powerful enough to manage to beat Diodora Astaroth in a duel and also deal with the Fallen under my wing."

"Even Ariel?" Azazel rose an eyebrow. "He's only a few decades away from gaining his fourth pair. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Azazel-sama." Orphiel assured him. "Yohane testified to that, and I trust her word."

"Yohane isn't exactly the most...sane of individuals." Azazel pointed out doubtfully. "Isn't she the one prone to fantasies and delusions?"

"Those are just aspirations!" Orphiel contested. "Thoughts such as those are healthy for a Fallen Angel! After all, desire begets power does it not?"

"I guess so." Azazel scratched his cheek. "Though it's still a bit over the top for my tastes."

"Didn't you name a sword of yours Blazer Shining Aura Darkness?" Orphiel pointed out.

"SHUT UP!" Azazel exploded, pointing at his subordinate. "Do you know how much trauma I got because of that!? I had the other leaders call me Blazer Shining Darkness Blade Governor! They were saying things like 'You're going to eliminate all our enemies using the Blazer Shining Darkness Blade right?' and 'Hey, can you send the secret weapon also know as the Blazer Shining Darkness Blade to me?' Goddamn you Michael!" Azazel cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks and clenching his fists. "Ah, where were we?" Azazel cleared his throat.

"A magician beating Ariel." Orphiel supplied.

"Oh yeah that." Azazel clapped his closed fist on an open palm. "Well, if the kid isn't affiliated with a cabal like you said he wasn't, then it might be a good plan for us to snatch him up before anyone else does. Do you know his name or something?"

"He didn't give it to me." Orphiel sighed. "But he did leave a clue, said that the both of you had a mutual acquiantance."

"Oh? A contact of mine? Maybe he _is_ going to join a cabal after all." Azazel waved away, already peering back into the components of his projects. "You know we don't do kidnapping and taking people who already made their choice. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try to tempt the kid to our side. So who's his contact? Madame Melina? No wait, probably not that high up. Maybe from a minor coven? Thomas from the Wraiths?"

Orphiel shook his head. "Ajuka Beelzebub."

Azazel grinned. "Ajuka? Ah well, that's interesting. So he's finally getting an apprentice or what? That makes me want to test this boy, see what caught the old Beelzebub's eye." He held up the glasses, peering into them with a squint.

"There's more Azazel-sama."

"Oh?" The Scapegoat raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Uriel...Uriel-dono came down on earth."

Azazel's hands stilled. "Interesting." He murmured, slowly placing the frames of the glasses back onto the tabletop. "Brother Uriel you say? He hasn't... Well, this game just got a _lot_ more interesting." Azazel smirked. "Orphiel, thanks for the information. Now, let's go to your platoon."

"What are you going to do?" He asked Azazel, following his lead.

"Hm? I'm just going to ask questions about our wayward magician." Azazel grinned, a challenge lighting in his eyes. "Never could leave a puzzle alone."

()()()()()()()()()

The day after the clusterfuck that was Italy, Issei almost woke up late, with a splitting headache to boot. Probably an aftermath of using more magic than he's ever used before, stress from being in the battlefield, the exhaustion after an adrenaline rush and a lot of other things.

"I'm leaving." He said to his parents, waving as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Be safe." He heard his dad's voice down the corridor.

The entire trip over, Issei couldn't help but get a feeling that something was watching him, observing his every move.

When he arrived at Kuoh's gates, a cate awaited him, perched on top of the wall. He stared at the cat and the cat stared back, unblinking.

It unnerved Issei, how it stayed so still like that.

Was it-?

Issei slowly reached to the device set into his choker, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

The cat tilted its head at him, blue eyes eerie.

Issei held his breath and clicked it off. He breathed a sigh of relief, all the tension in him disappearing. It was just a cat.

It stood back up, shaking its head pompously at him, light glinting off its snow-white fur.

Issei watched it go, shaking his head at himself.

The bell rang, signifying the start of classes.

Ah hell, Sona was going to kill him.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei walked past the gate of Kuoh Academy, sighing in disappointment. Sona all but grilled him about his being late and since he couldn't exactly tell her about what happened in Italy, then he floundered for an answer.

So much time wasted. They could have gone to playing his VNs dammit. He couldn't even find the time to play through those since his incursion to the supernatural.

"Nyan~"

Issei blinked, staring at the black cat that gazed back at him, yellow eyes curious.

"Another cat?" Issei asked outloud, bending down to scratch at her ears. She purred, closing her eyes. "I'm pretty popular today." Issei grinned before slumping down immediately. "If only I was like these with women."

He abruptly stood up, declaring to the world. "I'm going to finish Benkei's route today!" He carved the promise in his heart. He made his way home, a new fire igniting his being, a new sense of purpose carried on his shoulders.

"Nya."

Issei looked down to see that the black cat was following him. "Hey, I'm going home now." He said, feeling a little stupid at telling a cat his plans. She bumped against his leg, rubbing her head against him.

Issei bent down and picked her up, staring right into amber eyes. "You want to go with me?" He asked her half-jokingly. To his surprise, he received what looked like a nod of affirmation. "Nya."

"Huh. You're pretty smart for a cat." Issei said, tucking her, and it _was_ a her, into his bag. "I'll ask my parents if I can keep you."

When he got home and asked them for their permission, they approved.

" _You're_ going to be the one to take care of her." His father said. "You're going to clean up after her, feed her and bathe her."

"Yes!" Issei saluted even as the cat gave out an indignant sounding cry.

"What's her name?" His mom asked, hearts in her eyes.

"Chocola." Issei said proudly, remembering the catgirl in his last VN.

"That's a stupid name." His dad cut in brutally. "Pick another one."

Issei, not to be deterred, began again. "K-Kuro-"

"If you name her 'Kuro' I'm kicking you out." His dad said with a straight face.

"-ka. Her name's Kuroka." Issei felt a cold sweat run down his cheeks.

"That's an uncreative name." His mom pointed out, bending down and feeding the newly dubbed Kuroka some fish. "At least it isn't as stupid as Chocola."

Dear parents, please apologize to all those named Chocola in the world.

And it isn't a stupid name dammit!

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Just to clear things up, I went and gave up using Mr. and Ms. and used -san -sama and others when using Asia because it's less of a headache that way. In-universe explanation, Issei's natively Japanese and since he's the MC, the naming conventions bow to him.**

 **Anyways, longer chapter than usual, longest one so far I think. I'm still not quite confident enough about writing fight scenes, so comments on that are all the more helpful, especially when this fight is more magical than physical. How to make it flow better, how to make the** ** _fight_** **better, whether structure-wise or what have you.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"Maou-sama, where do you want to spend your time? Since the meeting finished earlier than expected, you have a few hours left." Grayfia reported to Sirzechs.

"Hmm, a few hours you say? Well, there's this convention going on nearby. I would like to see what it's about." Sirzechs smiled, eyes sparkling.

"Of course Maou-sama." Grayfia bowed, relief flooding through her, not that she showed it. It was a godsend that Sirzechs didn't take that time off to go and prance to Kuoh Academy where his little sister was currently studying.

It would just be an embarrassment.

()()()()()()()()()

Grayfia regretted ever allowing Sirzechs to go through with this.

"SELLER-SAN! I WOULD LIKE EVERY SINGLE MERCHANDISE WHERE SHE APPEARS IN!" Sirzechs hollered, thrusting his whole wallet into the face of the troubled vendor while simultaneously trying to tear down the wall scroll with an image that looked ridiculously like her, silver hair and maid outfit included, a figurine of said character, and an impressive looking sketch of her.

"S-Sir, would that include body pillows?" The merchant asked hesitantly. Grayfia rubbed her temples, just _knowing_ that that was the wrong thing to say.

"THERE ARE BODY PILLOWS!?" Sirzechs yelled out. "Grayfia, call on Surtr and Beowulf at once! I need people to carry all these! Bahamut as well if he's available!" He spread his arms out, nearly hitting one of the youth walking behind him.

As it was, he still toppled the boy's bags to the ground and if the large _crack_ was to be believed, broke one of his possessions as well.

"Ah, I'm sorry for that." Sirzechs bowed at the boy who had fallen onto his knees in abject disbelief.

"M-My limited edition Sakuya Izayoi figurine." He said, eyes turning soulless.

Grayfia sighed, promising to herself to stay out of the matter. It was Sirzechs' fault, and it was his responsibility to deal with - Wait, Sakuya Izayoi? Wasn't that-

"A fellow fan then! In order to show how sorry I am, you can have anything you want in this stall! Take it and it is yours!" Her husband proclaimed.

"Wow, seriously? You're going to buy anything for me?" The boy said, greedily eyeing the merchandise, no doubt looking for the most expensive one there.

"You can take as many as you want! I bought it out after all." Sirzechs bragged.

 _'That isn't something to brag about.'_ Grayfia thought, a headache already forming. Where was he going to keep all that anyway? Like hell was she going to allow him to stock all of that in their bedroom.

"That's so cool!"

Apparently, the boy disagreed.

"Are you one of those super dedicated fans to Sakuya Izayoi-san then?"

"Hmph, I am now!" Sirzechs grinned.

"My names Issei! Hyoudou Issei."

"Sirzechs. Sirzechs Gremory."

Grayfia could literally _see_ the forming of the odd friendship between the Lucifer and a normal human boy. There were _sparkles._

"So have you bought any of her doujins?"

Grayfia turned towards 'Issei' with mechanical slowness. "What about these doujins I hear?"

Even though she wasn't an S, she still felt a cold satisfaction when the two of them gulped in fear.

Hm, she could get used to this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

Issei lazed on the couch in front of the TV, Kuroka at his side.

It was a Saturday, and he had a few hours to kill before he was to go to Asama's shrine. Since Motohama and Matsuda also felt the lazy mood, they opted to stay at their own homes.

"That's stupid." Issei offhandedly commented to his pet cat. "Physics doesn't work that way. No way would sound travel in a vacuum like space."

His cat, ever so faithful, nodded in approvement. "Nya."

"See?" Issei asked the TV. "Even a cat gets it. Hire better writers."

 _Bzzt_.

His phone rang on the tableside, and Issei scrambled for a few tries to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Issei." Ajuka's voice came through the line. "Would you mind going to Kuoh Academy today? I need to discuss something with you."

"It's been days since Italy." Issei pointed out, switching channels on the TV. "I thought I was done with this already."

"I need to hear it directly from you. My treat." He offered.

"I'll be there in a half hour." Issei replied seriously, shutting down the call. "Well," Issei yawned, standing up and stretching."Guess I'm going to have to deal with this again. Such a pain."

Kurokat looked at him for a second before curling back up on the couch. "Lazy cat. " Issei grumbled, scratching underneath her chin before heading to his room. "Where the hell are my parents?" Issei scratched at his head. "...I really should buy some cat stuff for Kuroka." He wondered to himself.

()()()()()()()()()

"Issei." Ajuka nodded at him from where he leaned against the wall of Kuoh Academy. "Thank you for coming."

"I was thinking of leaving to buy food anyway." Issei shrugged. "I want something other than miso for breakfast."

"So you haven't eaten yet?' Ajuka casually asked, leading Issei to wherever the hell their next place of discussion would be. "I have good timing then."

"Yeah, yeah." Isei rolled his eyes at him. "So where are you taking me? Italy again?" Issei asked sardonically. "Because I have to tell you, I'm getting a bit tired of the place."

Ajuka chucked. "My bad. Rest assured, this one's a bit closer to home." Between one step and the next, they went from the familiar sights of Kuoh's commercial area to a bustling city, people walking all around the duo. "Tokyo's sushi is simply to die for."

"It's your money." Issei replied, privately pissed that he didn't see how Ajuka did what he did. Instantaneous travel would be so much more efficient than teleportation circles, not to mention much more cool.

"After you." Ajuka offered, holding open the door for Issei, and it was right at that moment that he _knew_ that the meeting would suck.

"Yo." Diodora nonchalantly said, holding up a hand in greeting, arrogant smirk in place.

Issei instantly brought his free arm to his neck, calling on his magic and designing a circle in his mind, looking for anything useful in a possible fight.

The flour in the kitchen would make an excellent catalyst for an explosion, the light bulbs could provide the spark if broken and given enough boom. There were the knives in the kitchen, though too far away for it to be able to be useful.

Looking closely, there was a series of magical seals in place, chaining and linking with each other, every one of them strengthening the-

"Issei." Ajuka laid his hands on the brunett's shoulder. "Don't worry. I placed several seals on my dear little brother, so he's no threat right now. To anybody."

"He isn't a threat to me anyway." Issei said aloofly, letting his magic die down.

"Fuck you." Diodora replied offhandedly, throwing some sushi into his mouth. "I could too."

"Diodora." Ajuka sighed. "Shut up. Please." The Astaroth held his hands up in surrender. "Thank you. Now, you two are probably wondering why I brought you here." Upon receiving two nods, Issei digging into a plate set in front of him, Ajuka continued. "I wanted to hear about the incident from _your_ perspective Issei. I've already heard things from Diodora, but I simply wanted both side's point of views."

Issei shrugged, swallowing down what tasted like salmon. "After I got to the place you deposited me in, there was a barrier maybe 500 meters wide around the Cathedral, one that puts a strong suggestion charm into the minds of people to stay away.

I stopped Diodora from taking Asia, and was dueling him when the Fallen Angels came. Someone named Ariel sounded like he really hated us, so he tried to kill us. Asia invited Diodora into the Church so we hid there. They still tried to kill us though, but then another one of them named Orphiel came and stopped them. Then this Angel named Uriel came and took Asia away. "Issei shrugged again. "And that's pretty much it."

"You didn't mention Orphiel." Ajuka told Diodora, sipping at his glass of what looked like liquor.

"I did! I told you there was an eight-winged angel! I just...forgot his name okay?" Diodora argued.

"But Orphiel isn't just some random eight-winged Fallen." Ajuka sighed. "He's the right hand of Baraquiel. This is the value of information Diodora, and something you never really _learned._ If they wanted to, Orphiel could ask for reparations from us. You could be a political prisoner if they _really_ had a case against you."

 _That_ shut Diodora up. He looked like he was slapped, mouth snapping close so quickly, Issei swore that he heard his teeth rattle.

"This is why you aren't ready." Ajuka sighed. "I always bade the others, even father and mother, to turn a blind eye to your...hobby, mostly because it doesn't really hurt anybody thanks to your disgustingly impressive way of going on about it, but this _can't_ go unpunished. You need to understand just how serious this case really is." Ajuka threw back the entire glass like it was a shot, bidding a nearby worker to fill it again. "This has the potential to be a political nightmare. Uriel has not descended in years. If the larger supernatural community finds out…" Ajuka trailed off. "Serafall's going to kill me."

"It isn't that serious isn't it?" Diodora bit out, looking down at his plate. "No one got killed, so isn't it-

"And you still don't trust me." Ajuka sighed, swirling his glass idly. "I think Rias and Sona got the correct idea when they made their decision." The Beelzebub fixed Diodora with a steady gaze.

The younger devil seemed to have realized what his older brother was getting at, freezing in place. "No."

"Yes." Ajuka replied with complete seriousness.

"Oh hell no." Diodora repeated, slowly shaking his head, looking a bit sick. "You want _me_ to stay here...in Japan?!"

"In Kuoh yes."

"Wait, wait." Issei, who had felt ridiculously out of place till that moment, found a need to speak up. "You want _him_ to stay in Kuoh?" Issei pointed at Diodora who scowled at the gesture. "I don't think I like that idea."

"What do you think _I_ feel." Diodora sniped.

"Issei." Ajuka turned that steady gaze at him. "I seem to recall you owing me a favor."

Issei realized what the older devil was getting at. "No."

"I'm calling it now." He continued as if Issei didn't speak up. "Keep an eye on my little brother while he's in town okay? The seals I've placed on him would still apply somewhat, so he can't do anything overt, but it doesn't hurt to make sure with family yes?"

"You're putting _him_ in charge of _me?"_ Diodora yelled, pointing at Issei who scowled at the gesture. "Bullshit!"

"I have every reason to put my trust in him." Ajuka calmly replied, meeting his eyes without worry. "You've given me no reason to trust you so far these days."

"But-"

"I've made my decision Diodora." And when one of the Four Devils declared, so did it become reality. "Issei, don't fail me on this. He might be like that, but he is still family."

"...Fine." Issei sighed.

"Oh, and Diodora." Ajuka said, and there was definitely a ghost of a smile playing in his lips. "Since you've been misbehaving for _quite_ a while now, I've seen fit to remove you from your peerage for a while."

"What!?" Diodora slammed his hands on the table, mouth dropping open.

"After this, you'll find yourself in a fully-paid for apartment along with some amenities for living. You'll have several identification papers needed to live in Kuoh, as well as several uniforms for your attendance in Kuoh Academy."

"What." Issei said flatly, nearly dropping his sushi. "Could you please repeat that?"

"I've placed a small handbook in your apartment, listing several rules I expect you to follow unless very dire circumstances permit you to do otherwise. Break them, and you will not like what will happen to you. Understood?"

At getting two dumbfounded expressions, Ajuka nodded as if satisfied "Good." He snapped his fingers, a paper bag flying from the kitchen and into the two's laps. "For the road." He explained cheerfully. "Well, I must get going. Duty calls." We waved his hand lazily, and Issei suddenly found himself in front of his home, a wave of vertigo as well as the sudden loss of his seat sending him with his ass on the ground.

"He did that on purpose." He muttered to himself, standing up with his crutch that was thankfully by his side. "What the hell just happened?"

()()()()()()()()()

Issei made his way to Asama's shrine after feeding Kuroka some of the sushi in Ajuka's bag. He just hoped that she didn't finish all of it. At least cats can't open a refrigerator.

"Issei-kun." Asama greeted with a smile from where she was brushing away stray leaves in the ground. "It's been a while since I last saw you. I was beginning to think you forgot about little old me."

"I won't forget about someone like you Asama-nee." Issei smiled, holding out a package to her. "Here. It's mochi." He explained when he saw her confused expression. "My mother got it from the next town over."

"Oh you flatterer you." The shrine maiden smiled, but bowed as she took the package with two hands, her broom somehow standing up on its own. "But don't think this will make up for you leaving me all alone."

"Got it." Issei sighed goodnaturedly. "You're so cruel to me Asama-nee."

"Of course. _Someone_ needs to keep you in check." Asama chuckled, the two of them walking to the shrine. "Anything interesting happen in Italy? You haven't told me what happened yet." She asked as the two of them settled in their table, two cups and a teapot already waiting for them.

"It was weird." Issei admitted, slightly slumping down over his table. "It was just supposed to be Diodora, Ajuka-san's little brother, but then some Angels and Fallen Angels came and screwed it all up."

"You won of course." Asama said with a sure nod. "I expect nothing less from you. If you lost, then I really would have no choice but to disown you."

"I was winning." Issei insisted. "I could have taken all of them."

"Without relying of your Sacred Gear?" Asama rose an eyebrow in challenge.

"Well...There were some I had trouble with." He admitted. "There were these really strong guys, a Fallen Angel with six wings and eight wings, and then an Angel with ten of them and-"

"Sandalphon?" Asama growled, nearly shattering her usual cup. "Was it _him?"_ She spat out with a venom he's associated with mentioning Yasaka and/or Kyoto.

"Um…No. It was someone named Uriel."

Recognition shone in Asama's eyes, and the hostility in them abated somewhat. "I see… Uriel is a good person, I recognize that even in the few times I have met with him."

"Do you...hate angels?" Issei asked her slowly, secretly a bit pleased at finding out more and more about his elusive friend and mentor.

Irritation crossed Asama's expression before schooling itself back into her usual composed one. "Not all of them." She admitted. "But Sandalphon just irritates me in every possible way."

"Why exactly? What did he _do_ to you?" Issei felt himself leaning forward towards her.

"It isn't what he did as much as what he represented, what he _represents_." Asama took a long sip from her cup, golden veins shining at Issei with a dull glare. "There was a rumor." She finally said after a long silence. "A rumor that he was... _inside_ me, that I carried his child within my womb. All of them were false of course." Asama said matter-of-factly, as if talking more to herself than she was talking to issei. "But still, the emergence of that _hearsay_ was more than enough to destabilize my position, and thus," She shrugged carelessly. "Here I am, a shadow of my own power, taking care of foreign soil in my own homeland, an exile in all but name."

"So...I take it you _don't_ like him." Issei guessed, floundering for a response. He wasn't exactly the most tactful of people, and he didn't really have the social graces to instantly know what to say in any given situation.

"I don't just dislike him, Issei-kun." Asama sighed. "He might, or he might not be involved in the creation and spreading of that rumor, but it does not change my feelings for him one bit, and the truth is, I absolutely _loathe_ Sandalphon with every fiber of my being."

Issei stared at Asama, long and hard. Seeing her so _angry_ suddenly lead him to a realization. She was beautiful, no doubt about that, and powerful too, no question, but for all of that, for all of her proclamations of divinity... At that moment, Issei looked at her and saw nothing but an incredibly _human_ person. Just like Ajuka, just like Sirzechs.

' _Is this a theme with the supernatural?'_ He thought to himself sardonically. ' _That all of them are just so damn...human?'_

"There you have it Issei-kun." Asama shrugged. "My hate for Angels and Yasaka both are well documented, so I thought it best that you hear it from me personally and not from anyone else. I prefer to keep our relationship open and truthful."

Issei quirked a smile in her direction, though that quickly faded as he mulled things over. "Asama-nee, why does it feel like I attract all the wrong kinds of attention?"

The shrine maiden hummed, tapping her nails on the table. "Well, you _are_ a dragon Issei-kun, and even now the scent and feel of it grow stronger each time I see you. Dragons are natural beacons of power, they naturally draw people to them, and you're not any different. In fact, with none other than Ddraig inside of you, then it's just to be expected. In fact, I'm a bit surprised it took you this long. Most wielders, I heard, start to hear him when they're nothing more than children."

"Hear him?"

"Yes," Asama nodded. "You should expect him any moment now. Be sure to listen to him, a being as old and powerful as Ddraig is wise beyond human comprehension. The years he's lived, the sights he's seen…" She trailed off, looking introspective.

"So wisdom comes with age?" Issei asked slowly, a smirk growing in his face.

"Of course Issei-kun." Asama answered confidently. "That's how it's always been."

"That explains why you're so wise then, and why I always come to you for advice." He grinned, watching in complete satisfaction as Asama nearly choked on her tea, spilling some on her chest. Not that Issei was looking or anything, it was just something that didn't happen everyday, and wow they clung to her pretty well.

"I-ssei-ku-n." Asama smiled, eyes closed, though Issei could see the twitch going on. "Would you care to repeat that please? After all, my ears seems to be working wrong because there's no way you would make fun of my age right? Right? _Right?"_

Issei launched himself from a sitting standstill to a vault, skidding outwards into the courtyard of the shrine. He flung his hands, a shield already forming just as Asama rocketed out, broomstick aimed right at his heart. Her mass hit the circle dead center, and it nearly shattered on impact if it wasn't for the sudden boost in powers given by Issei's Sacred Gear.

"Very good Issei-kun!" Asama yelled out, disengaging and landing lightly on her feet only to move quickly to his flanks. "But remember: Always be sure that _you_ dictate how a fight flows!"

Issei grinned, stomping his foot down on the ground hard, privately satisfied as the earth crumbled inwards in a circle around him, though Asama didn't even look like she noticed, still as lithe as ever. With a graceful little two-step, the trees behind her suddenly _grew_ , their arms speeding towards him.

Issei faced them head on, a circle forming in the forefront of his mind.

"I'll beat you this time Asama-nee!"

"You can certainly try Issei-kun."

()()()()()()()()()

Issei glanced over at the multitude of cat stuff in the pet store he's in, wishing that there weren't any people around so he could just use magic to make his life a lot easier. He sighed, giving up on choosing from half a dozen different brands of collars and just picking up a red, adjustable one with a bell on it. It was stereotypically anime, so it must be doing _something_ right.

 _Bzzt. Bzzt._

Going to the cashier and paying for the collar, he picked up his ringing phone. "Motohama, where the hell are you two?"

"Matsuda just sprained his ankle." His friend told him seriously. "I'm taking him to a nearby clinic, but it won't take more than half an hour, 45 minutes tops."

"What the hell did that dumbass even do?" Issei sighed, reaching up and rubbing at his forehead. "How hard is it to go to the _mall?_ "

"He was trying to impress this girl that-"

"Okay, got it." Issei interrupted, completely understanding the idiot's motivation. "Just...hurry it up okay? I don't have the damn money to buy three damn copies of the game."

"For the discount." Matsuda's voice suddenly came through from the phone. "Leave...me. Save yourselves. Buy the game for the sale price."

"Dumbass." Issei informed him before cutting off the call, shaking his head. "Dammit. What do I do now?" He wondered with a groan. "I think the arcade's open so that might-"

"You!"

Issei blinked in mild consternation, looking down to find a finger pointed straight between his eyes. "Me?" He parroted, pointing to himself just to make sure. The blonde girl nodded, ringlets bouncing slightly at the motion and Issei found his eyes being dragged to follow the motion among...other things that were also bouncy.

"Yes you. I want to be able to try this 'takoyaki' that I have heard of. It is supposedly delicious." The girl, despite being a whole head and some change shorter than him, somehow managed to look _down_ on Issei with a haughty look in her eyes. "I've given you the privilege to assist me in finding this treat."

"No thanks." Issei replied, turning his back on her and going back to fiddling with his phone.

"Wait wait!" He felt the girl's hands grab at the back of his shirt, trying to stop him from leaving. She was stronger than she looked, though he guessed that was to be expected from a devil. "I'm sorry! Please don't leave me! I'm lost!" She cried out, digging her heels into the floor. "What kind of gentleman are you, ignoring a lady in need!"

"What kind of lady _does_ things like this?" Issei threw back, turning around to face the blonde girl who was now dusting her pink dress from nonexistent dirt. "I don't even _know_ you!"

The girl seemed to have just realized this, if the flushing of her cheeks were any indication. She cleared her throat, smoothing down her dress again even though she basically just did that. "My name is Ravel Phenex."

"Hyoudou Issei." He said out of pure habit drilled into him by his parents and Japanese society. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Ravel nodded in approval. "Now about this 'takoyaki' I am looking for-"

"Still not interested." Issei waved his hands in denial of her request.

"Why not?!" She stomped her foot on the ground, hard enough to almost get nervous. Were those _cracks_ he was seeing on the tiles?

"Because throwing a tantrum isn't the way to go about it." He deadpanned, deciding to studiously ignore that little tidbit. Not his problem. "Besides, I have somewhere to go to."

"Please?" The girl, Ravel, asked, looking up at him with that look in her eye that no normal, hot-blooded male could ever resist. "I just want to have fun here in the hum- I mean, here."

"Fine fine." Issei sighed, pocketing his phone. "Dammit, but are you all devils like this? Pushing to get what you want?" That was certainly the case with Diodora, and Ajuka too now that he thought about it.

Ravel blinked, mouth dropping open in a perfect 'o' of surprise. "Y-you know what I am? What _are_ you anyway?" She peered at him suspiciously.

"That's a rude thing to say don't you think?" Issei rolled his eyes, reaching out to poke her in the forehead, keeping her away from his personal space. "And I'm a magician, if you must know." He beckoned for her to follow him, heading towards the food court of the mall.

"Which cabal are you in?" Ravel asked, looking around with a thoroughly wondrous air about her.

"Not in one." Issei shrugged. "I've been practicing for only a few months, so I haven't really had enough time to join one." He never really had any plans to join one though. The most he'd settle for would probably be an apprenticeship under Ajuka.

" _Months?_ " Ravel asked doubtfully, eyeing him critically. "Don't magicians study when they're just kids?"

"They _do?_ " Issei asked, raising an eyebrow. "Huh. Didn't know that. Anyway, I'm pretty good at math, so I think I'm okay."

"If you say so." Ravel said dubiously, but seeming to forget about it the moment they entered the food court. "So this is what they call a 'food court.'"

"Don't they have these in the Underworld? I know you have malls in there, so these shouldn't be all that uncommon." He knew from firsthand experience too. Though he _did_ kinda get lost and had to call Sona for help…

"I don't- I mean, of course we do!" Ravel announced with a proud nod. "It's just...I haven't really...seen them." She mumbled.

"So you're a princess aren't you?" Issei deduced, correctly if her sputtering was any indication.

"W-what does that have to do with anything?" Ravel scrunched her eyes up at him. It wasn't a scowl, it was too cute to be one, and really only hammered in the idea that she _was_ a princess, or the devil equivalent anyway.

' _What is up with devil genetics anyway?'_ Issei thought as he ordered a takoyaki set for himself and the girl he was with. ' _Are they all supposed to be that beautiful? Sona, Rias, heck, even Diodora's a prettyboy. Where the hell is justice for us men!?'_ His grip suddenly turned to iron, nearly crushing the platelet. ' _I swear, the next devil pretty boy I come across, I'm going to shove-'_

"This is good!" Ravel exclaimed, already shoving another piece into her mouth. "Hey hey, you think I could ask for this to be brought home? I want this all the time! I know my brothers will love this too!"

"You shouldn't." Issei rolled his eyes at her as she huffed at him. "It's not healthy for a growing girl to eat something like this everyday you know."

"Don't treat me like a kid!" She pouted at him. "And I'm a devil, so things like that don't concern me."

"Seriously?!" Issei knit his eyebrows together. "That is just _so_ unfair for us humans."

"That is why us purebred Devils are far superior to everyone else." Ravel threw her hair back, some of that haughtiness coming back.

"You make it sound like you're dogs." Issei deadpanned, chewing thoroughly. ' _Though with her attitude, I can see the resemblance.'_

"Y-You…" She glared at him impotently, turning away with a 'hmph' and angrily biting at her snack.

"Seriously, isn't anyone looking for you?" Issei sighed, looking at her curiously. "Or are you out by yourself?"

Ravel flinched, determinedly ignoring him. "W-well...I am...kind of… I got lost okay?" She snapped, cheeks flushing. "I was looking around and got lost."

"Are you a kid or something?" Issei squinted at her, holding his arms up in his defense when she clenched her fist. "Shutting up now."

"I don't have a phone." She mumbled. "And I don't even know my older brother's number, so I can't call even if I did find one."

Issei looked at her for a few moments until she started to squirm. "What?" she snapped. "Stop staring at me like that."

"It's just, you're really pretty" Issei blurted.

Issei then sighed, grabbing his crutch and standing up from their table. "Come on, get up."

"W-why?"

"I'm going to help you look for your brother." Issei rolled his eyes. "He's a devil too right? Then that makes it a bit easier." Issei reached up and brushed his finger against the switch in his choker, creating a 'web' across the entire mall area, a construct designed to find any magical traces in the place. Almost immediately, two signatures caught his attention, powerful ones too if what he felt was any indication. He looked over a nearby map of the mall and mentally compared the two locations. "He's right about here," He gestured, pointing at one part and then moving to another. "And we're right about here. He's headed this way now, meet him halfway?" He offered to the dumbfounded blonde.

"H-how did you do that?" She asked, starting as she followed him.

"Magic." Issei grinned. "Pretty useful stuff. Looking back, I don't know how I lived without it to be honest." It was just so convenient to grab that remote from his position in the living room couch without moving.

"I haven't really started on those kind of things yet." Ravel admitted. "My teachers just taught me offensive magic and some defensive ones."

"That's not really a bad thing you know." Issei pointed out. "Though I personally believe that support magic could be more useful in more situations than evocation or spellcasting."

"Evocation?" Ravel repeated, looking confused. "Spellcasting? What's the difference?"

"Spellcasting is...well anything that alters reality according to how you, the caster, wills it. It's a subset of magic as a whole really. Evocation, well, according to what I was taught, evocation is the manipulation of forces of nature like fire. That's you right?" Issei casually asked her.

"How did you know?" Despite herself, the blonde princess looked impressed with him. "Some spell you cast on me that I didn't know about?"

"I'm pretty good with magic." Issei smirked, tapping the side of his nose. "I think he's near." He told Ravel, right as his phone began to ring.

"Ah, you're right." Ravel lit up, about to run forward to where a blond guy was waiting along with a purple-haired bombshell (at least, from her body she was. They were a bit too far away for Issei to really take a good look at them) before stopping and turning to fully face him. "Thank you for keeping me company and helping me. Let's meet each other again okay?" She turned and ran off, the older brother probably scolding her or something.

Issei sighed and opened a call to Matsuda from his phone. "Where _are_ you guys?"

"Right outside the mall." They promised. "Kiba's with us too."

"Seriously? Where'd you find him?"

"I think he was walking from the convenience store, so we invited him."

"That's nice of you." Issei glanced at his watch impatiently. "So would you _please_ hurry it up? I'm getting bored here."

"Fine, fine. Be there in 10." Issei shut the call off, looking to where Ravel ran off to only to find no one but the crowds of faceless people. "Why do I get the feeling that she's going to be _really_ important?"

()()()()()()()()()

"Issei-kun, could we please have a moment of your time? Buchou is asking for you." Kiba approached Issei just as he was leaving class for the Student Council room.

"Me? Why? Did Rias-senpai say anything?" Issei asked curiously, scratching at the back of his head. "And could it wait? Kaichou asked me to help her with some magic circles."

"Buchou already told her." Kiba assured. "This is pretty important, so please?" He pleaded, clasping his hands in front of him, eliciting a new round of whispers around the two.

"Alright fine. Stop doing that bastard, you'll start new rumors." Issei scowled, hitting him in the arm as he passed the blond. "So? Why did I get called over?"

"I don't know." Kiba confessed to him. "I was just told earlier this morning to come and get you, and to bring you over to the clubroom."

"I hope it isn't anything important." Issei sighed, scratching at his cheek. "I have a few circles to design for Kaichou."

"I'm sure it can wait." Kiba smiled, the gesture looking strained.

"I just hope this won't take too long." He complained, glaring at two girls who were giggling and looking over at them with lecherous eyes. ' _Is_ this _what it feels like whenever we do it?'_ He shuddered inwardly. ' _Wow, we're creeps.'_

"So…"

Issei rose an eyebrow as Kiba coughed, looking embarrassed. "How...do you get past the Northern Continent?"

Issei blinked. "You started on that already? A bit too overhyped for me, but still a good choice."

"Well, it _is_ pretty cool and that sword of his gives me a few ideas of my own to try it out." Kiba admitted. "Though it should be lighter than steel since a sword _that_ big, _that_ heavy would probably send me flying whenever I swing it."

"You could add some weights on your feet at the moment of swing." Issei tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. "Though that might just snap your ankles with the force of everything acting on it. How strong are devil bodies again?"

"Around 10 times a normal human I think Buchou mentioned." Kiba replied. "Though I guess that's just for newly-reincarnated ones. Once you're a devil for a bit longer, the piece gives you more magic that circulates and strengthens the body, so older ones are generally more powerful than us newer ones."

"How long have you been a devil?" Issei asked.

"I...haven't really kept count." Kiba said, sounding surprised. "I became a devil...four, five years ago? It was another lifetime for me." He smiled, a bitter, cynical looking one, a smile that looked so out of place in his handsome face.

Issei didn't say anything, and when Kiba clammed up, he kept that silence between them, a brooding one that hung over their heads like a black cloud until they arrived in front of the old school building that was the base of operations of the Occult Research Club.

"We're here." Kiba announced tersely, grip on the knob more hamfisted than necessary, and Issei could see a few _dents_ on the surface of it, which he kept to himself. No need to poke at what looked like a sore point. "Buchou, I've brought him."

"Issei-kun." Rias greeted him with a slightly brittle smile. "Sorry for the suddenness of the invite, but I'm glad you found the time to come."

"I was supposed to do something, but Kiba said you needed me." Issei said slowly, eyes not on her but to the person right next to her, twirling her hair between his fingers. "Can I ask wh-"

"So you're the one who wants to break the pact between two Pillars of the Devil World?" The man sneered. He was handsome, even Issei had to grudgingly admit, not in Kiba's 'prince-like' way, but in the manner a 'badboy' was. An expensive looking burgundy jacket thrown over an untucked white shirt that left one button open to show off his chest in a way that Issei would have found attractive on women but just made him want to throw stuff on the man. Dark blue eyes looked down on him in contempt beneath a crown of gold. "You're the reason I had to trek over _here_? Such dirty air this world has. Rias, once we get married, we'll stay in the Underworld where we belong."

"I will _not_ marry you Riser." Rias snapped, reaching up and throwing off 'Riser's' arm, though all it did was for him to lay it down on her thighs. "Grayfia-nee, what are you two even _doing_ here? I know I have till I graduate college to make my decision!"

"Maou-sama has asked me to accompany Riser-sama here in this trip." The maid, Sirzech's wife, said in an emotionless voice. "He has expressed his desire to see his fiance, and has come to Maou-sama to ask permission to visit you."

"I still don't understand why I have to go through Sirzechs-sama to visit my own fiance." He sneered, though thankfully, he didn't make a move on Rias anymore. "It should be my right to see her as I see fit."

Grayfia turned, very _very_ slowly to Riser. "Riser-sama, this arrangement is made because Sirzechs-sama said so, and the Lucifer's word is absolute. I am merely following his orders, and you would be wise to follow them too."

Issei could almost _see_ how Riser recoiled, could almost _see_ him pale a shade, but he made a pretty impressive effort at not showing it.

Rias seemed to notice and went on the offense. "Listen Riser, I will _not_ be your wife. I have decided that the moment the contract was brought up. I _refuse_ to marry someone that I do not acknowledge."

"Rias." Riser sighed, reaching up and ruffling his hair. "This contract of ours will help _both_ of our families tremendously. If the families of Gremory and Phenex were to become one, then think of the economic power we will achieve. Think of the power our children will have in the future. With your blood of Bael and my blood of Phenex, they would be unstoppable, potential Superdevils in the making. All it would take is for you to spread your legs open for me, and tell me honestly, that isn't such a bad prospect isn't it?"

Rias stilled, looking honestly pensive. "I...am not opposed to the idea of power. I _am_ a devil after all." She laughed, the sound a bit bitter to Issei's ears.

"Fantastic!" Riser laughed, a happy grin settling onto his lips as he made to approach Rias, hands spread open as he did so. "Then I will let you finish your education here in the human world, and then we'll be marrie-"

The redhead held out a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "What I do not approve of, is you being my husband. You have given me no reason thus far to see you as a potential partner, either in matrimony or in business. You are an arrogant person Riser, and I see that that is what rules you in most of your decisions, not logic. You would rather power through a problem than to think through it, even when the latter is the better choice. You get angry when things do not go your way and try to resolve it through power than through diplomacy. You are handed everything in a silver platter, and you do not properly appreciate what you have. _That_ is why I do not approve of you Riser Phenex."

Issei wondered just what the _hell_ he was doing there. He sighed, making sure not to make the motion too obvious. No use making himself a target after all.

Of course, as Life seemed to just _love_ making his life miserable, that plan went to hell without him even doing anything.

"Is this about him?" Riser suddenly asked, completely ignoring her rant and turning to jerk his chin at Issei. "Is this about this _human_ , the one Sirzechs-sama favors over me? Why would a Satan take interest in _him_ of all things, and Lucifer-sama himself too?" He approached Issei, towering over the his sitting form. "He's made a mistake, taking an interest in you, nothing but a _cripple_. You are interrupting a pact between two of the greatest families in the Underworld boy, and you should do well to respect that."

Issei looked up at him mildly, hands over the handle of his crutch. "Is that all?"

Riser bristled, and the room suddenly _exploded_ , and inferno occupying the space in front of Issei, two wings of pure flame erupting from the back of the Phenex. "How dare-" He ground out, stopping when he saw the circle standing in front of him, and the highschooler that was even now standing up from his seat, not even sweating at the heat.

" _Is. That. All_?" Issei repeated, in that same mild tone he used, but that didn't stop the shaking of his hand. He was _pissed._ He may not be that _close_ to Rias, but she was still someone he considered as a friend, and seeing that fried chicken bastard treat her like that just pissed him off.

Riser stared at him, as if suddenly seeing him in a new light. "So you have something to offer it seems." He murmured, a grudging respect in his voice. "But an outsider like you has no business being with the higher classes. Swear right now to never see Rias again, and I will ensure you peace and wealth." His sneer was back full force. "A commoner like you'd need the money anyway."

Issei knew he should have been intimidated, this _was_ a high-class devil after all, but after facing an _oni,_ numerous Youkai, Fallen Angels and even another high-class devil, he just _knew_ he'd beat this asshole easily. After all those, threats and insults didn't even faze him anymore. "I choose Rias-senpai anyday over your money. Besides," Issei smirked. "my intelligence is worth more than your wealth anyway. Not like an idiot like you has any use for it after all."

Riser's eyes flashed, a flicker of flames dashing through them before he reigned them in. "You insult my pride, and when I offer you peace, you spit in my face with more slander." Riser's sneer grew even more pronounced, any respect for Issei gone, replaced by contempt. "Face me in a duel you bastard. It's the least you can do."

"I refuse." Issei replied, forcing his voice to sound bored. It got the intended effect, pissing Riser off even further, and he actually _saw_ the temperature in the room increase, a hazy shimmering forming on the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grayfia herd Rias' peerage from the two facing off in the middle of the room.

"Are you really that bereft of honor that you refuse even something like this?" Riser asked mockingly. Really, it was as if he wasn't paying attention; Issei didn't really even register insults from him anymore.

"I'll accept, but only on one condition." Issei replied easily.

"Name your stake." Riser glared at him, teeth bared.

"The dissolving of the marriage contract between you and Rias Gremory."

"What?" Riser blinked, and Issei counted that as a point for him.

"Issei-sama." The maid spoke up slowly, eyes unreadable. "This contract has been formed and drafted by Lords Gremory and Phenex, a union for Political and economical needs. Why exactly would you wish to do this?"

"I could say that the parents of a person shouldn't really control their child's future just like that." Issei ruffled his hair with a sigh. "I could say that a person shouldn't be defined by just their family's name. I could even say that I just really don't like Riser Phenex. But the thing is, she's a friend of mine, and seeing you act like that makes me realize that you don't deserve to be with someone as amazing as Rias-senpai. So if we're going to fight, then might as well have something worth fighting for right?"

"Then no deal." Riser snorted. "The knowledge of your being a coward is enough for me. I don't have any business being with low lifes such as you. It would do nothing but debase myself even further to be involved with you. A coward and someone who would break a pact between families just for his own sense of self-entitlement. Good luck with life, you're going to need it." A circle opened up beneath Riser's feet, and before Issei got a chance to sear it to his memory, a gout of flames reached up and burned Riser away from the room.

Grayfia pursed her lips and bowed to Issei. "Issei-sama, I hope you do not look less upon us devils for this incident." She bowed to Rias as well before disappearing through a circle.

"Did...did he just get the moral high ground?" Issei asked Rias incredulously. "Did he _seriously_ just leave with the moral high ground? Tell me he didn't."

"Well, Issei-kun, he certainly believed he did." Akeno gave a bitter smile, going to the corner of the room where the silverware was kept.

"Thank you." Rias started, looking at him with a small, sad smile. "Thank you for standing up to me, for saying all those things."

Issei shrugged. "I thought for sure that I had him." He muttered a quick thank you to Akeno for the tea. It tasted different. Not bad, but different from Asama's.

"He may be an arrogant ass, but he's no idiot." Rias told Issei with a grimace that he was sure no one outside the room and probably the Student Council has seen. "Which is a shame. Idiocy are so much easier to deal with than arrogance."

"Why the contract anyway?" Issei asked. "And your brother's one of the Satans right? Why not just ask him to stop the marriage?"

"Because it would seem to much like favoritism if he did it." Rias sighed. "And he can't afford to do so in the larger Underworld Society."

"Well, what if _you_ challenge him to a duel?" Issei suggested jokingly. To his surprise, Rias nodded her head.

"The thought did come to me." She admitted. When she saw his confusion, she elaborated. "It's called a Rating Game, a duel of sorts between two peerages of High-Class devils. But I only have Akeno, Yuuto, Koneko and Gasper while Riser has a complete set of 15 members. If I tried to challenge him right now, I'll lose no matter how much planning I do." Rias grinned weakly. "Issei-kun, my offer's still open you know?"

"Sorry Rias-senpai." Issei offered an apologetic smile. "But I think I'll stay human for a little while longer."

"Well," She sighed. "Didn't hurt to try."

"Look on the bright side Rias-senpai." Issei tried. "At least you have a few years to find a way out. Who knows, maybe your peerage will grow and you'll be able to match that fried chicken bastard easy."

"Still," Rias said slyly. "I'm sure that if I had you, I can defeat Riser right here, right now."

"Making it a bit too obvious senpai." Issei pointed out.

"Ufufu, yes Rias, I heard that men often don't like being pursued. Is that that case with you too Issei-kun?" Akeno asked, a hand held up to her lips. "This is the first time Buchou has ever been rejected, so maybe her pride's feeling a bit stung?"

"Akeno!" Rias snapped, face flushed. "That's not it!"

"Ara, Buchou's so cute when she's blushing, don't you agree Issei-kun?" Akeno's smiled widened, turning to the only non-devil in the room who coughed and scratched at his cheek.

"A bit." He mumbled, blushing almost an equal shade of red to Rias cheeks.

"They're cute together." Kiba commented from his seat, "Aren't they Koneko-chan?"

The white haired middle schooler- why she was in the highschool area of Kuoh, Issei had no idea- nodded. "Yes."

"Maybe that's what Issei-kun was up to all along." Akeno continued wondering out loud, not caring about her King's embarrassment. "Maybe he wanted to defeat Riser and sweep you off your feet. Isn't he just romantic Buchou?"

Issei gave Rias a pained look to which she only returned with a resigned shrug as if saying 'what can you do?'

He sighed, picking up his tea, heating it in his hands when he noticed it grew cold. When Akeno yelped as her tea froze over, pouting at Issei, he smiled cheekily at her. Petty he knew, but at least he got at least _some_ revenge on her.

His phone rang, Issei excusing himself to pick it up.

"Hyoudou Issei-kun." Sona's voice came from the other end of the line, and the sheer frostiness of it made him shiver.

"Y-yes Kaichou?" He asked.

"Why exactly is Diodora Astaroth standing _right in front of me_ , claiming that he is to go to this establishment effective immediately, saying specifically that _you_ are in charge of him?"

' _Son of a-'_

()()()()()()()()()

It happened right when he was having tea with Asama. He interrupted himself in the middle of telling her about buying her a mobile phone when something pinged at the back of his head, an incessant noise that wouldn't stop.

"Asama-nee." He said, puzzled at the little phenomenon. "There's something buzzing at the back of my head. What do you think-"

"Issei-kun," She said sharply, gazing at a point past the walls, past the woods and into the heart of the city proper. "It seems that there are devils currently attacking the school of Kuoh."

"What?" Issei snapped, realizing what the sensation was. A few weeks ago, he decided to carve the numerous runes that Asama had taught him about into hidden corners of the school, just for fun. Looking back at it now, at least one of them had a function that alerted the one whose magic was imbued into it about any explosive and dangerous acts in the area it was planted on.

Abruptly, Asama reached out, grasped, and _pulled_ at the air. The roof of the shrine imploded, a devil being dragged into the ground. Wasting no time, Asama briskly approached the dizzy devil. "What is going on?" She asked sharply, standing over him with an ominous air about her.

The devil looked up at her, obviously still not having fully recovered from the fall. "What the he-"

"In respect for your kin's support for my kind, I will spare your life, but only if you tell me this: Why are you attacking this land?" She asked coolly.

"F-Fuck you bi-" Tendrils of magic reached up from underneath the devil, wrapping around each of his limbs, around his neck and around his mouth, slamming him deep into the ground.

"Issei-kun, go. See to the safety of your town." Asama nodded at the high schooler. "As much as I wish to accompany you, it would not be a wise move for me to leave the confines of this place. I have confidence in you, Issei-kun."

Issei looked between the devil and Asama before steeling his resolve. "Thanks." He formed a circle under his feet, springing him from the shrine and down the stairs in a single bound, another circle catching him right as he fell in an angle, redirecting the force down, succesfully _not_ shredding his ankle and knees, and getting a running start, magic pumping down his right leg with every motion.

They started to get packed when he was in the commercial areas of Kuoh, a kilometer or two from school where the students usually went to after classes or on the weekends.

People were murmuring, taking pictures and murmuring as they stared at the smoking, burning wreckage that was an apartment complex.

"Brother's going to kill me." A voice muttered to Issei from beside him, staring up at his home. "I haven't even read the damn rulebook yet." Diodora complained.

"Why do you think they attacked you?" Issei asked, moving his gaze to the general direction of the school where he could see smoke rising from the school.

"The Phenex's staying here for a few days right?" He asked, following Issei as he ran for the school.

"Yeah? Why? You think they're involved too?" Issei wasn't even sure why he knew Riser and Ravel was staying in town, but he didn't have the time to ask for that.

"All but sure of it." He grunted. "There are _four_ heirs to pillar houses staying in this town right now, three of them the siblings of the current Maou and another two High Class devils that are part of a _major_ supporter of the revolution. Only one group comes to mind really, the Old Maou Faction."

There was something Diodora wasn't telling him, Issei was sure of it. But for now, he had other problems.

There was a crowd of students in front of the gate, nearly all of them on their phones, voice frantic, though a group of them that were slightly to the side stood out to him.

"Kaichou! Rias-senpai!" He slowed to a stop, finding the two high-class devils standing in front of the school, talking to each other in hushed tones, their peerages grimfaced besides them, along with a blond girl with pointy ears that Issei's never seen before shivering to the side, Koneko's arms around her. There was also a blond guy off to the side, sitting against the wall, face ashen, uniform bloody, a weird looking gauntlet on the back of his left arm. "What happened?"

"They blew up our room, blew up the _school_." Sona said bitterly, pure anger in her voice. She nodded towards the blond student. "This is Genshirou Saji. He _died_ in that explosion, and if I wasn't on the scene, he would have _stayed_ dead."

Diodora looked at the guy and snorted. "At least you got a pretty nice Sacred Gear out of him. Would have been a waste of a Piece if he didn't."

"Diodora-san." Rias said sharply. "This isn't just a matter of Sacred Gear or not. Kuoh Academy, the base of operations for us devils, have been _blown up._ This is all but a declaration of war to devils. You should be more concerned than this."

"I am, believe me." He rolled his eyes. "After all, bastards got my apartment too. After I just got a new TV installed and all."

Rias and Sona threw him equal looks of disgust. Issei blinked slowly. "Hey, if you two both got hit, then what about the Fried Chicken Bastard?"

"He's a Phenex." Rias sighed. "As much as it would make life easier for me, even I would not wish for Riser to go like that. He deserves a more honorable death by bombing. But from what I heard from Grayfia-nee, only he, his Queen and his little sister are staying here in the Human World, and the both of them have their regeneration and some Phoenix Tears on them, so they'll be fine."

"So what are you going to do now?" Issei asked after a silence settled between them all, looking up at the smoke rising from the burning buildings.

"We're going to have to tell them Rias." Sona told her childhood friend who was looking agitated. "I know that you want to solve this by ourselves, but this is much too big for us. We have to tell the higher-ups about this."

"I know." Rias snapped before instantly looking contrite. "I'm sorry. I know, it's just...It just annoys me how so much that's nrrm going on lately is out of my control, and I can't even _fix_ it. This town is supposed to be our responsibility but we can't even take care of it properly."

"Something's going on." Sona agreed quietly. "Something big. Maybe it's the Old Maou Faction making a move."

"They wouldn't." Rias disagreed, though even she looked unsure. "Would they? What would they have to gain."

"There are _five_ High-Class devils staying in this town right now." Diodora held up his fingers to emphasize his point. "It's pretty obvious that they're looking to thin the opposition isn't it? Though I can't agree with how _stupid_ this plan is. Do they think that killing us off would have the devils just up and flocking to their side? They're facing off against the Maou. They _earned_ their title for a reason." He shook his head, kicking off against the wall. "Whatever. I'll just book a hotel or something. Wait for this to pass by."

Rias and Sona stared at each other before simultaneously sighing. "You called last time, so I guess it's my turn." Rias said sardonically. "At this rate, we might as well have a phone that connects to them immediately."

"Onee-sama gave me one." Sona admitted.

"...Nii-sama too." Rias turned away, holding her phone up to her ear.

Issei leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. ' _What the hell did I get myself in to? Civil war? This is way out of my paycheck.'_

He sighed, rubbing at his hair. ' _I hope this doesn't turn Kuoh to shit.'_

Why did he feel like Life was just laughing at him right now?

()()()()()()()()()

"Kuoh town was attacked just a few hours ago." Sirzechs said, voice unusually calm. "Has any group claimed responsibility for the attacks?"

No one said anything, but the answer was clear to everyone. "The Old Maou Faction have overstepped their bounds." The Crimson Lucifer continued. "Us Satans have decided to let them be because we cannot afford to spark another civil war, and because they have grown dormant these past few decades, but this act cannot go unpunished."

The head of House Phenex nodded. "I too have received a call from my daughter right before this meeting was called. They told me that their home was also attacked in the same manner, and that they are currently staying in a nearby hotel until the ones in charge sort this out. Thankfully, none of them were injured."

"Same with my little brother." Ajuka spoke up. "He wasn't in his apartment at the time of the attack, so I guess he's a little better off."

"One of Sona's students died in that explosion." Serafall said softly. "She had to resurrect him with one of her pieces, but even then, she tells me that the child was traumatized. Several other locals have been injured in by the explosions, and the local government's demanding an answer from them."

"Falbium, prepare your contacts." Sirzechs announced. "Tell them that any information pertaining the Old Maou Factions and their sympathizers are of paramount importance. I want to know if they gained any more support the past decades, I want to know which of them is still alive, I want to know where they are, who they talk to, if they even so much as _breath_ in any direction, I want to _know._ "

"Of course." The Asmodeus stood up, excusing himself as he drew out a device from his pocket. "At once."

"Ajuka, Serafall, continue on as usual. I don't want any of the other pantheons and factions to know what's going on in here. I want no information about this to leak outside this room." He turned his gaze upon the only non-Maou in the room. "Lord Phenex, I know that the safety of your children is your priority, but we can _not_ afford to show weakness right now. The ceasefire may be on right now, but I do not know if any of the other gods would take this opportunity to strike at us. Our relationship with a few of them is shaky at best."

"I understand completely Lucifer-sama." He bowed his head. "My family and I will continue to give you our support as we had in the last war."

"Thank you." Sirzechs gave him a brief smile. "Now, go and tend to your children. There is still work to be done."

"As you wish." Lord Phenex clapped him in the shoulder, a gesture of support, before leaving him alone with his two fellow Satans.

"Well," Ajuka started. "guess we have another war in our hands." He reached out to the air, hand disappearing up to his wrist, before drawing out a bottle of whiskey. Three glasses floated from a nearby stand and towards the three.

"It looks like it." Sirzechs sighed, reaching for a glass and the bottle. "Though if I can help it, it won't last more than a month. Last time we were too lenient, but this is too big an insult to us that we cannot just let them off."

"That was what I told you to do last time Sirzechs." Ajuka reminded. "To make an example of them, to show them that we are not to be messed with."

"Sirzechs also had a point." Serafall pointed out, pouring a glass of her own. "When our enemies defy us, we must serve them steel and fire. When they bend the knee however, we must help them back to their feet, else no one will ever go to their knees for us."

"When did leading become so complicated?" Sirzechs smiled bitterly. "Sometimes, I look back on everything, and I wish that I never led that damn rebellion."

"If we haven't done that, then there would be nothing to look back upon." Ajuka laid his hand on Sirzechs' shoulder. "Look on the bright side Sirzechs, if this had not happened, then the future of the devils would have been very bleak indeed."

"Still, it's fun to imagine." The Lucifer trailed off, taking a small sip of the whiskey. "All the possibilities…"

()()()()()()()()()

"Lord Kokabiel, I bring news of Kuoh!" Chazakiel, his right hand, barged into his throne room just a few minutes after he had asked for the latest news from his reporters.

"What is it?" He said noncommittally, staring at the reports of the locations of the other Excalibur fragments. He already had two in his possession, Rapidly and Transparency, thanks to the information given by that turncoat priest. "And make it quick. I still have something that must be done.

"My lord...Kuoh has been attacked by the Old Satan Faction!" Chazakiel reported eagerly. "Our spies tell us that just a few hours ago, four magical explosions went off, all of them in the locations of a High Class devil!"

"Is this true?" Kokabiel confirmed sharply, laying down the papers against his tableside. "Are you sure?"

"Yes my lord." Chazakiel nodded, following Kokabiel as he made his way down from his throne and to the window of the castle. "The devils are in a lockdown, my contact went off the grid almost immediately after I received the news."

"Chazakiel...this is an opportunity that comes only once in a hundred years." Kokabiel muttered. "Go to your contact in the Old Satan Faction. Give him every and all the support he needs. I want them to stir up so much trouble in the Underworld that they have no resources to spend on us. Make sure the Church focuses on them too. Return as soon as possible, after all your hard work…

How does a trip to Russia's Orthodox Church sound like to you?"

Chazakiel grinned. "Yes my lord."

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Just to clear things up, Issei thinks he can beat Riser easily because he assumes that most devils are just stronger, more longer lived versions of humans. Apart from Rias and Sona, he's only really seen the Satans' ridiculous power level which he correctly assumes is a pretty bad baseline for devils. So he's only really encountered spellcasting, he hasn't seen the Phenex regen, Sairaorg's Touki, etc.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated**

 **P.S.**

 **I think this is the longest chapter so far.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"Welcome back Rias-sama." Grayfia bowed to the returning princess, her friends at her back. "Peerage of Rias-sama. If you would be pleased to come to the dining room? Maou-sama has asked for your presence. Do not worry about your baggage, we will take care of them."

"Thank you." Rias smiled at the maids around them, following Grayfia to where her brother was. "Is Onii-sama alright? He mentioned that he's been going to the Human World more often lately. Is it related to business?"

Grayfia gave an effort, an extreme amount of effort to keep her eye from twitching. Deep breaths Grayfia, remember, you married him for a reason. "He's perfectly fine." She ground out. "Sirzechs is _perfectly fine_ believe me _._ "

 _Too_ fine in fact. The Underworld could survive for a few days without the Lucifer could it not?

"Then wh-"

"Ask the master of the house himself." She said stiffly, interrupting her sister-in-law. "I do not think I am _qualified_ enough to speak in his behalf."

She saw Rias and her Queen exchange puzzled glances, though she didn't bother. Obviously, she should just _leave everything to her beloved husband shouldn't she?_

She chuckled deeply, hands twitching wildly. _When she was through with him…_

"G-grayfia-nee,we're here." Rias spoke up meekly.

"Ah yes." She straightened up, smoothing down her skirt. That was unprofessional of her. "Maou-sama, your little sister has arrived."

"Let her in!"

She stepped to the side, bowing to allow them entry. She kept her head bowed, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. ' _You love him, you married him, you bore him a son, and you will_ NOT _murder him for this. You are strong Grayfia, and you will keep on being strong.'_ She turned to the room, staying silent to allow them their reunion. Their _heartfelt_ reunion.

"Rias! It's wonderful to see you again!" Sirzechs said happily, gesturing to the table. "Hope you don't mind that I invited a guest!"

Rias just stared at the one other occupant in the room, the human looking at her with a huge, goofy grin. "I-I'm Hyoudou Issei! Pleased to meet you!"

"This guy here's a schoolmate of yours." Sirzechs grinned, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Though she's a year above you, I think you recognise my little sister?"

"Of course! She's one of the most popular girls in school!" Issei nodded eagerly, and Grayfia could see his eyes _stray_. She sighed. While she wasn't one for judging a person based on those kinds of things, especially on someone as well-endowed as Rias, it still wouldn't kill him to be a little less obvious.

"Grayfia! Did you hear that!? My little sister's popular! Oh, she's going to leave me soon, I just know it! But I won't allow it! No one's going to take my dear Ria-tan away from me!"

"Onii-sama!" Rias snapped, face the same color as her hair. "Would you please stop it! And what is Hyoudou-kun doing here exactly? No offense, but why did you invite him here?"

"Hmm, Issei-kun, show her." Sirzechs said seriously.

"I-It's kinda...embarrassing." The human, Issei, coughed. "Do I have to?"

"I'll do it with you if you want." Sirzechs grinned, and Issei returned it gradually.

"Fine Sirzechs-san. If you say so." Issei nodded resolutely, and Grayfia felt a pit of pure ice form at the bottom of her stomach. ' _Oh no,'_ she thought with slowly growing dread. ' _please don't tell me that-'_

To her ever growing horror, _he did._ Or rather, _they both did._

Even as power _flooded_ the room, the air actually getting heavier, more loaded, there was only one thing that was going through her head. ' _Another one!?'_ Then, it was replaced by something, a curious sort of wonder. ' _That power...is he actually-'_

The smoke cleared, and it served to only confirm her suspicion.

Crimson red armor cloaked his form, powerful pauldrons adorning his shoulders, golden spikes jutting out from their form. A gem of such high quality that it seemed to emit its own light shined in the middle of its chest, which itself was built out of interlocking parts that resembled the scales of the dragons of old. Clawed gauntlets made its presence known, grasping at the very air around it.

Finally, the helm greeted them, the face and expression of the human inscrutable, hidden by the depths of the green eyes the armor had.

"Nice Issei!" Any wonder at Sirzechs somehow finding from the billions of humans, millions of demi-humans, the wielder of the Boosted Gear and somehow training him to its Balance Breaker was completely annihilated by the sight of him giving a thumbs up in the _damnable red spandex suit of his._ "I give that an 8/10!"

"I'll try to get a better score next time!" The human, god bless him, actually _pulled of the same pose._

' _Patience Grayfia,'_ She breathed in sharply through her nose. ' _Remember: Milicas makes everything worth it.'_

"WOOOOW! OTOU-SAMA, WHO'S THAT?! HE LOOKS SO COOL! CAN I HAVE ONE TOO?"

Grayfia, for the first time in her long life, hit her head against the wall.

' _We're doomed.'_


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

The Roman Catholic Church, for the first time in a long while, was in a state of panic, and the congregation Vasco Strada sat in reflected that quite clearly.

"What's going on?!"

"Has anyone here received word from the Protestants?"

"Did the Patriarch say anything about who attacked them?"

"It's obviously the Fallen Angels who did it!"

"What about the Devils? They might have a hand in this."

Vasco idly leaned back, taking a long drink of his tea, noting idly that the gathered cardinals were slowly getting more and more agitated. That was only to be expected; after all, most of them achieved their position through service and quite bit of politics.

Vasco chuckled quietly to himself. Everything in the world was related to politics, one way or another.

"How do we deal with this situation?" A colleague of theirs, Cardinal Sin- and wasn't that an ironic name for a man of the cloth- asked during a lull in the proceedings. "Do we ask for intervention from Lord Michael?"

A round of agreements swept through the room, the first positive reaction from the group and Vasco frowned. He stood up, and he was a bit pleased to see that all of them immediately quieted down, looking up at him for what he was to say.

He stayed silent for a moment, making sure to meet the gaze of each and every single one of them. "Our God," He began. "is a God of Vengeance. He strikes down those who would trample upon His teachings, those who would belittle, harm and who would kill those who believe in Him. He is a God that sent the plagues to Egypt, and had dominated the gods of that realm to do so.. He is all that and more… But he is also a God of Mercy, of Love. Even now we preach kindness to those who believe, and it would turn us into nothing more than hypocrites if we immediately move for war when our very tenet is peace."

"So you would have us do nothing while our brothers and sisters are killed?" One of the dozen cardinals asked cautiously. "What are you really saying Father Strada? I know for a fact that aggression through non-violence is not your style."

He couldn't hide the smile that formed on his lips. "You know me well Father Tagle." He gave a respectful nod to the only person in the room older than he was, and turned to address the whole room. "I implore all of you, do not raise your arms just yet, we do not want blood to be needlessly spilled."

"Then what do you have in mind Father Strada?"

Vasco smiled, knowing just how controversial his next words were going to be. "Send Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou, and Asia Argento to Japan."

As he expected, a ripple went through them all, arguments and counterarguments, discussions, and he even heard one of the younger cardinals mutter if he was becoming senile.

"Why Japan Father? When it's England and Russia who was attacked?"

"Why those three? Would it not be better if Dulio or Griselda went?"

"Would it not be more prudent to hear what the previous priests we sent there have to say?"

Vasco took all of those in, and when they abated, waiting on his answer, he merely said quietly. "Have Faith in me brothers, when have I ever steered you wrong before?"

And with the words of one of the most powerful priests in the Catholic Church, that was that.

()()()()()()()()()

"Japan's amazing Xenovia!" Irina said cheerfully, poking her blue-haired partner eagerly. "There's the food, the sights, everything!"

"It's still a land of nonbelievers." She pointed out with a frown, fixing the position of the bulky package she had holstered over her shoulder. "And we don't have much money to spend on those. We're here on a mission, not a vacation."

"S-still, Miss Xenovia, wouldn't it be kind of a waste if we didn't appreciate this opportunity?" The blonde girl, Asia, smiled at her nervously. "I mean, I always wanted to travel and all…"

Xenovia watched as the nun trailed off, looking down at her feet and sighed. "Why not? Let's take a day or two to settle in before we begin our investigations. Still, I must ask," She turned to Irina with a question in mind. "why here in this 'Kuoh town?' Why not someplace such as Tokyo or the capital of Japan?"

"Tokyo is the capital of Japan." Irina corrected. "And Father Vasco Strada said that this is the best place to start when it comes to investigating the claims about the Excalibur. The last two priests sent here didn't manage to contact the Church, and this is the only place in Japan that's devil-held territory. Also, intelligence says that the Fallen Angel Chazakiel has been sighted holding some of the swords, and that he was headed here in Japan, around this area so there!"

Xenovia stared at one of her two partners. "You actually read the mission report?"

"You mean you didn't?!" Irina yelled, flinching back. "What did you think this mission was for?!"

Xenovia shrugged. "Scouting? Don't worry, I trusted that you read the report, so everything's good!" She gave a thumbs up to her partner, adding in a confident nod for good measure.

"W-well, you aren't wrong…" Irina mumbled. "Asia-san! What do you think? Do you want to visit my childhood friend first? You'll love him I'm sure! He's cute and he's fun!"

"I'm sure I wi-"

"Something's nearby." Xenovia interrupted, with Irina's eyes sharpening at exactly the same time, startling the blonde nun. "Asia, stay close to us. Your healing will be invaluable if this turns into a confrontation."

"What's going on?" The blonde asked, following their orders.

"Holy Aura." Irina explained, signaling to Xenovia, the two of them walking casually in a certain direction. "The Vatican hasn't told us anything about any other people of the Faith in Kuoh at this time, so this may be the work of Fallen Angels."

"Isn't Holy Aura supposed to be for Angels only?" Asia said in a stage whisper, looking around every few seconds.

"Some Fallen Angels retain that power even after Falling. I think I've heard some say that Azazel the Scapegoat still has a lot of power in him, enough to match Michael-sama and Uriel-sama."

"Really?" Asia's eyes widened. "But when I saw Uriel-sama, he was bright! This Lord Azazel must be pretty amazing."

"Don't call him 'Lord'". Xenovia frowned. "You Catholics and your infatuation with giving titles to the Fallen. You must respect those only as an opponent, but not much else. They're all demons after all."

"Y-you shouldn't say things like that Miss Xenovia." Asia frowned, the first time she's seen her do so, holding up a finger as if in a lecture pose. "They were still Angels, so we have to respect them too."

"It's here." Irina shh'd them, looking over her shoulder at the two, looking closely at a closed door. "Xenovia, how do you want to-"

The bluenette kicked the door in before Irina could even finished, Asia's hands over her mouth. Irina started, her hands instinctively going for the metal circlet around her bicep, transforming Excalibur Mimic into a Japanese katana, right at her partner's heels.

"There's nothing here." Asia heard Xenovia say, so she cautiously went inside, finding a room with two couches, a glass table between it and some magazines. There was also a machine that said "Coffee" to the side.

"I don't get it." Xenovia frowned, kicking at a stray magazine on the floor. "I can definitely feel some Holy Aura in the room, so why isn't there anything?"

"We have to investigate." Irina insisted. "I'm sure this is connected to the situation!"

"It is our only lead." Xenovia sighed, letting go of Excalibur Destruction and kneeling to pick up the magazine, leafing through it to see if there was anything relevant in it. She found seven great ways to lose fat, though that really didn't matter to her. 'Girls actually read these things?' She thought, tilting her head.

"Xenovia! Stop reading and help me!" Irina pouted, looking under the couches for...something.

"What are you doing?" She asked, honestly a bit concerned with her partner. "Do you really think that you're going to find something there?" 'Maybe the magazine has something for this kind of situation.'

"Miss Xenovia, Miss Irina, this machine can give you coffee for only 100 yen!" Asia said excitedly, kneeling in front of the coffee machine to peer a cup being filled with the liquid. "It's the future!"

"Xenovia, Asia, help me! My foot got stuck under the couch!"

()()()()()()()()()

"It's your fault we nearly got caught by the police Xenovia." Irina glared at her blue haired partner who looked entirely unapologetic. "You should have kept Excalibur Destruction hidden!"

"I can't exactly do that as I can with Durandal." Xenovia pointed out. "Excalibur Destruction doesn't have a dimensional sheath like Durandal."

"Still," Asia looked at the absurdly large package slung over Xenovia's back. "it is pretty large Miss Xenovia. Doesn't it bother you?"

"It does." Xenovia nodded, patting the clothed sword/axe hybrid on her back. "There was that one time where I let a Stray Devil escape because it got stuck on the doorway." She shivered. "Sister Griselda was angry at me for weeks…"

Irina looked at her partner in pity as Asia gave off a complicated expression, patting Xenovia's shoulder consolingly.

"Miss Irina, I don't mean to be a bother...but where are we?" The blonde nun asked curiously.

"Since we exited gate 3 of the airport, this must be the old tea house!" Irina triumphantly crowed, pointing at a certain direction.

Asia turned her head to follow her finger, only to see a huge souvenir shop in the way. "Is it behind that building Miss Irina?" She tilted her head.

"Urk." Irina's expression twitched. "W-where is it? I'm sure it was right there when I left!"

"Didn't you leave Japan ten years ago?" Xenovia picked herself up, dusting herself off. "Isn't it obvious that there's going to be changes?"

Irina looked like she was realizing that fact only now. "Um…"

"Idiot." Xenovia stated flatly.

"It isn't my fault!" Irina threw her arms up. "I didn't think that things would change that quickly! If only Issei-kun were here, he'd help me!"

Asia nodded happily. "Mister Issei is a kind man, I'm sure he will!"

"Have I told you about the time we played hero?" Irina smiled brightly at the blonde, the two of them bonding over their mutual friend Hyoudou Issei. Though Irina inwardly worried at the thought of her childhood friend/crush/first kiss being hurt like that, she still believed that their Lord had something in mind.

"Not yet." Asia answered, eyes shining. "What did you do?"

"Well, there was that one time where-"

Xenovia, as was her custom when Irina became like this, tuned out the noise. Back then, Irina would act all angry at her because she wasn't listening, but now that Asia Argento was in their team, it had become a lot more bearable. That, and the fact that it was almost impossible to become angry in the presence of Asia. Her giddiness and appreciation for life was frankly, infectious. Sometimes, though Xenovia would never say it out loud, she swore that even Griselda softened at her presence. Of course, as she found out the hard way, it wasn't an invitation for Xenovia to slack off. She shivered.

"-this is the Kuoh Mall?! It looks so shiny now!" Xenovia heard Irina say, so she looked up from her thoughts to see what she was getting all excited about. It looked like a big mall yes, but it wasn't even half as impressive as Saint Peter's Basilica, so Xenovia couldn't figure out just what she was acting that way for. "Let's go in!"

"We still have a mission to do." Xenovia pointed out, reaching over to grab onto the back of Irina's clothing, making sure that she won't run off somewhere. Knowing her, she'd probably lose all their money on a scam. Seeing Asia's expression, the bluenette sighed. "We can go after we've taken care of official business."

"Thank you Miss Xenovia!" Asia beamed brightly, and the wielder of Roland's blade grunted. "Where are we headed?"

"To Kuoh Academy." Irina piped up. "The landowners of the town, Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory are currently second years there. We need to ask permission from the both of them to be able to move around their territory freely."

"Then let's go." Xenovia hiked up the sword entrusted to her up her back. "No need to waste any more time. I want to go check in on a hotel room and sleep."

"Ehhh?" Irina pouted, her and Asia following suit. "Why are we going to a hotel?"

"Do you still have your home here?" Xenovia rose an eyebrow. "Is it still in your family's possession? I would gladly sleep there if that's the case."

"Well...not really." The brunette mumbled. "But still, it feels cheap to do that kind of thing. Shouldn't we be staying in the Church in this town? Or some kindly old woman lets us rest and then turns out to be a great fighter that helps us in our town of need?"

"No." Xenovia stared at her as if she was an idiot. "What are you even thinking? This is why the Church gave us some funding. "

"B-but being frugal is part of the Church's teachings." Irina said weakly.

"You're free to be frugal. I'd prefer to sleep in an actual bed." Xenovia shrugged. "Sometimes, you people in the Protestant Church can be ridiculously outdated with your lifestyle. Or is it that you're just exceptionally idiotic?"

"Hey!" Irina's eyes looked like they were gathering tears. "Y-y-you heretic! You should show more respect to your sister Religion!"

"This is a trial." Xenovia closed her eyes, rubbing at her forehead. "God is testing me. I will stand strong."

"Heyyy!" Irina cried out, shaking Xenovia by her shoulders. "Don't say things like thaaattt!"

"C-calm down Miss Irina, Miss Xenovia." Asia tried to step in as a mediator. "We should really go to the school now."

"Not until Xenovia apologizes!"

"But you are being idiotic right now."

After a grueling fifteen minutes, the three of them finally managed to organize themselves enough to reach Kuoh Academy where they now sat in front of the Student Council President, Sona Sitri.

"What brings you three here?" She said, taking a sip of tea.

"Direct and to the point." Xenovia nodded approvingly, each of their three cups untouched atop the tabletop that stood between them and the Devil. "I can respect that. Recently, as you may or may not have heard, a few Excalibur Fragments around the world, the ones kept by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Protestant Church have been stolen. We wish to ask permission from you to go around town."

The girl in front of them paused for a few seconds, possibly mulling their words over before sighing. "And why exactly are you here in Japan of all places? Would it not make more sense to look in Russia or in Europe where the stolen swords were located?"

Xenovia and Irina glanced at each other, the former nodding slightly. "There is evidence that the thief of one of these Excalibur Fragments is currently staying in Japan, and our intelligence suggests that it was brought to the area around here, Kuoh Town."

Sona sighed again, and Xenovia was sure that she heard her mutter 'this territory is more trouble than it's worth' before asking. "Well? As a caretaker of this land, I believe I deserve to know who it is that stole the swords."

"The Fallen Angel Chazakiel."

The girl took a deep breath, taking off her glasses and massaging the bridge of her nose. "You are telling me, that currently, the Church suspects that there is a leader of the Grigori institute in my town? With an Excalibur no less?"

"W-well, actually, they're saying that Chazakiel was actually carrying two other Excalibur Fragments with him when he went here. The one that was stolen from the Eastern Orthodox, the other one held by the Protestant, and the one that was stolen a few years ago from the Vatican." Irina explained, looking a bit awkward.

For a single moment, Xenovia felt a twinge of empathy towards the girl who looked like she was a few seconds away from a seizure. "Are you telling me, that right now, the proper grounds for the reignition of a war is right at my front door?"

"W-well…" Irina trailed off, not knowing how to explain it.

"Miss Sona." Asia began earnestly. "I know that it may look bleak, but please place your trust in the Lord. I'm sure that He won't let something like that happen. After all, that's why we are here aren't we?" She turned towards her new partners for confirmation.

Xenovia nodded. "The Church is just as reluctant to start the war as you Devils are. We are doing everything to keep the ceasefire as it is."

"If that is true," Sona slowly said. 'then why did they not send in Griselda Quarta, or Dulio Gesualdo, or even Vasco Strada? No offense meant to the three of you, but wouldn't it make more sense if the Church sends in their greatest warriors for something like this?"

"That's-" Irina began, but Xenovia cut her off.

"That's something that the higher ups decided to do. We just decided to follow."

Xenovia held Sona's gaze, and the Student Council President sighed. "If that is all."

"Thank you." The trio bowed their heads, Xenovia's shallower than Asia's while Irina's was the traditional Japanese way of doing it.

"We have Sitri-san's permission now." Irina chirped. "So now all we need is Gremory-san's and we're set! And Xenovia! What was that for? You acted like you knew all that when you didn't even know what our mission was!"

"It got the job done didn't it?" Xenovia shrugged before frowning. "Also, I get the feeling this isn't going to be quite as simple as the last one. Where is Gremory anyway?"

"W-we could ask someone?" Asia raised hesitantly after nearly a minute of silence.

"Good idea Asia." Xenovia nodded, looking to the side. "You. Where is the one named Rias Gremory?"

"W-what?" The student gawked, staring at their forms. Even she had to admit, that with their white cloaks, and Asia's habit, they stood out like a sore thumb. Still, it wasn't that outlandish wasn't it?

"Where can we find Rias Gremory? We wish to speak to her."

"Th-the old school building. She's always there during breaks and after classes. It's in the woods area to the west of the school."

"I see. Thank you." Xenovia turned to Asia and Irina. "You heard him. Let's go." She added impatiently when the two of them refused to move.

"S-so confident." She heard Asia mutter behind her back.

The place that the directions lead them to was a pretty old looking building, some places even overgrown with weeds. What Xenovia couldn't quite get was the clock tower it had. What was its purpose? Did the devils use it as a conduit for magic? Or was it just a clock? Somehow, Xenovia doubted that.

When they entered the room of Gremory, she finally found the first complication, proof that this will not be as easy as dealing with Sitri.

A blond student, a boy, was glaring at the three of them, killing intent radiating off of him. It was so thick that Xenovia swore she could physically feel it grinding against her. Beside them, she felt Asia shiver, pressing herself closer to her back.

"Hello Gremory-san." Irina greeted cheerfully, though Xenovia saw her slightly tense up like a spring, preparing herself for anything that might happen.

"Hello… ah, I don't believe I got your names." The redheaded devil smiled amicably enough. "And please, take a seat. Akeno, would you please prepare tea?"

"Yes Buchou."

Xenovia watched her go disinterestedly before sighing. "I will make this short Rias Gremory. Recently, three Fragments of the Holy Sword Excalibur have been stolen, and our intelligence says that the Fallen Angel who has it has been spotted around this area. We come here with a request: that we be able to move around this town freely, that you leave the conflict for the Excaliburs alone."

She felt Irina's alarmed gaze on her back mixing with Asia's concerned ones.

"Oh? That's quite a request, telling me to ignore what's going on in my own land." Rias Gremory hummed, and Xenovia felt herself bristle at the sound, but she restrained herself. Sister Griselda always did say that her stubbornness was her biggest problem. "If you tell me who stole the swords, then I'll give you passage."

Xenovia stared her dead in the eye. "The Fallen Angel Chazakiel."

"The right hand of Kokabiel?" Rias rose an alarmed brow. "My, this territory of ours sure is a hotbed of incidents."

"So you won't work with the Fallen Angels in this case right?" Irina asked seriously.

"Us devils don't really hold an interest in that." Rias said in distaste. "Handling those swords are more trouble than they are worth."

Xenovia nodded. Pragmatism was something she could understand, more than politicking and the like anyway.

"Then, if that's all?" Rias asked. "Are you sure you do not want your tea?" She gestured to the cups set in front of them by Akeno. "It's not good to waste them."

"We need to get going." Xenovia shook her head. "The faster we clear this up, the better."

"Oi." The blond finally spoke up. Privately, Xenovia had been wondering for quite a while what was taking him so long. "Those things you have...Those are Excaliburs aren't they?"

"What of it?" Xenovia tilted her head curiously. While they weren't exactly hiding it, they didn't really announce it either, and his fixation on the blades were honestly weird.

"Those are...the things I've wanted to destroy all my life."

"Yuuto." Gremory said, voice cutting through the air like a whip, but he either ignored or didn't notice her, still continuing in that voice laced with venom and steel.

"As your senpai in using Holy Swords, as the survivor of the Holy Sword Experiment, even if I am a failure, I think it's just right to test my kouhai's ability isn't it?"

"Oh?" Xenovia rose an eyebrow, honestly intrigued. "I heard that all of the people that participated in that were killed. So one of them escaped after all."

Kiba's eyes tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?" He growled.

"Nothing." Xenovia closed her eyes with a small sigh. Her hands instinctively went to Excalibur as the killing intent in the room suddenly spiked to dangerous levels, and before she was even aware of it, Irina and her were on their feet, facing a Kiba with a naked blade in his hands, the tiny white haired girl standing in front of him. Rias Gremory slowly rose from her seat while her right hand woman stood still, her smile still in place, though Xenovia noticed that even she was tensed up.

"C-Can we please all calm down?" Asia pleaded, looking lost, hesitantly standing in between the devils and the two of them, laying a hand on the clothed Excalibur Destruction and another on Irina's wrist holding Excalibur Mimic. "We don't need to fight."

Kiba's glare turned to her and she wilted under his gaze.

Xenovia frowned, feeling a need to protect the blonde. Still, Irina came to Asia's defense before she did.

"Hey! Don't look at Asia-san like that! She's just trying to help."

"Then where was she when every single one of my comrades were killed."

"Oi." Xenovia narrowed her eyes at him, feeling a bit pissed off at how he was acting. "Why are you blaming her for that? It's certainly a tragedy, but Asia was not connected to that in any way."

Kiba opened his mouth to retort, but the Gremory cut in. "Yuuto, enough." She gave him a warning look, looking to the three of the them, giving a shallow bow. "As his King, I apologize for Yuuto's words and actions against you all." Her eyes flickered to the seething blond, and she almost visibly softened. "I am sorry to ask you of this, but could you please indulge his request? I would consider it as a debt to you, and as long as it is within my power, and it does not violate my duties as a devil and landowner of this town, I will do my best to grant it to you."

Irina wavered, looking unsure. "I don't think tha-"

"I'll do it." Xenovia stepped up. "It might be interesting to see the strength of Rias Gremory's servant who also happens to be my so called senpai."

Rias gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

They all headed outside, Irina taking the opportunity to go up to her. "What are you doing?"

Xenovia shrugged. "I want to test myself against other swordsmen." So far, the only proper fights she's had against another sword wielder was Griselda and, occasionally, Dulio. Losing against them, again and again and again gets tiring quickly, especially when they didn't even look tired, that smug sister, looking all concerned about Xenovia when she didn't even break a sweat.

Asia laughed a little. "That sounds very like you Miss Xenovia."

The bluenette simply waved off the accusation. "Being strong is a way to offer myself up to the Lord."

"That's why Sister Griselda always calls you a strength idiot isn't it?" Irina grinned widely.

"Oi."

"Are you ready, Xenovia-san?" Kiba let out impatiently, whole body practically shaking, eyes full of hatred staring at nothing but the blade on her back.

Xenovia smiled confidently, taking off the white cloak that the Church had given to her and Irina, reaching behind her and drawing out the blade, reaching into the knot and unravelling it, the full power of Excalibur Destruction being unleashed upon the world. Even just holding it was a minor battle, the blade humming in her hand, demanding to be let out against its enemies. "Of course."

"Yuuto, it may just be a friendly match, but be careful. A holy sword can still do some real damage to your body."

'Friendly match. I doubt that.' Xenovia thought, shifting slightly as the killing intent from the blond grew thicker and thicker, even laughing with a cold looking smile. He looked like he didn't even noticed that his King had said anything, and she seemed to realize it too, as a frown marred her face. "What are you laughing for?" Xenovia asked, honestly a little unnerved at what he was doing.

"The thing that I had wanted to defeat for years is finally in front of me, what's not to laugh at? Ah, it feels like fate that this is happening."

Xenovia simply raised her blade, preparing herself for his attack.

Kiba grinned and spread his arms.

Her eyes widened, as her world suddenly erupted into a field of swords, blades of every type stabbing up from the ground. She grunted, slamming Excalibur Destruction at the incoming wave, shattering each one of them to pieces, the sheer violence that her blade was capable of making itself known.

"Too slow!"

Xenovia snorted, a move that would probably warrant a punishment from Griselda if she heard it, and simply raised her blade above her head, pushing in a bit more of her holy aura into it. The blade that Kiba had used to try to cleave her in half broke the moment it made contact with her own.

"Wha-"

"Sloppy." Xenovia frowned, ramming the side of Excalibur Destruction onto her enemy's cheek. It sent him sprawling, smoke actually rising from the place she striked, evidence of the superiority of her own sword over devilkind. "Are you really my senior in something like this? If so, then y-"

"How about this!" Kiba yelled out, drawing two blades from the armory that was the ground around him. "Freeze and burn!"

Xenovia smirked, easily twisting around the blades as far as she could, her aura mitigating damage from the magical elements inherent in the blades. "So this is the power of the Blade Blacksmith? It feels a bit underwhelming for-" Her eyes widened, as Kiba suddenly threw his blade at him, the edges burning from the flames it exuded. She hit it away from her, unbalanced, and both her and Kiba knew it. The moment she regained her footing, she kicked herself back, feeling the soft ground give way under her, preventing her from reaching a proper speed. She noticed a sword that she had ignored, continuously bleeding water from where blade met hilt, constantly softening the ground around it.

She hurriedly pumped as much of her power as she could into the blade, Excalibur Destruction greedily lapping it all up. As quickly as she could, she struck the blade into the ground.

She felt the power inside the blade condense, roaring out in an explosion that only Excalibur Destruction could muster.

What lay was a crater, perfectly formed, with her at the center. With a frown, she saw that Kiba had managed to get out of the way at the last moment, standing just at the edge of the circle.

"You're quicker than I expected." Xenovia said. "But still, pretty lax for a swordsman. You're pretty angry aren't you?"

Kiba answered by rushing towards her, picking up two blades along the way. Xenovia responded in kind, a brutal horizontal swing that would have cleaved his body in two if it hit, devil constitution or no.

Kiba suddenly jumped, right onto the blade of Excalibur Destruction itself, the sudden weight dragging it down. Instead of using his sword, Kiba actually kneed her, catching her right at her chin.

It snapped her head back hard, and she immediately backpedaled, knowing instinctively what came next after losing sight of the enemy. She growled as something decidedly not steel bit into her side, cutting a long but shallow gash across her abdomen.

It was a silver sword, wind running across the blade, twisting and releasing a high pitch, elongating the cutting edge by at least another half foot.

"Got a point on you kouhai-chan." Kiba said with a sneer.

Xenovia nodded her head slowly, fixing her stance, lowering her body, tensing it up, watching Kiba's every move.

Kiba snarled, kicking off the ground so harshly that his foot actually sunk in before he rocketed off at her.

Xenovia smirked, leaping up, bringing Excalibur Destruction down on him. Kiba scowled, twisting his body, the two blades he held shattering as he used them to divert the holy sword's path away from him, picking up the sword that sprouted next to him, blocking her heel that was aimed at his chest.

He swiped at her leg, Xenovia kicking it back, blade descending on the blond, the air itself being displaced by the sheer magical mass of the holy relic, rending at tearing at everything in its path in a perfect rendition of its title.

It would have hit him too, if Xenovia hadn't suddenly lost sight of him. Those precious few moments nearly cost her, just barely managing to get out of the way of a strike that would have bit deep into her spine. As it is, she still got a nasty gash across her back for her carelessness.

'He's getting better.' Xenovia thought, rolling her shoulders. 'No, it's not that he got better. He's simply more in control now.' When they started, there was nothing in his movements but anger, bitterness and resentment, each one of them showing up in his fighting style; powerful, but ultimately sloppy.

Now, he's more ordered, had finally restrained himself. The anger was still there, but it was now a honed blade that sharpened his wits, not one that clouded his mind and judgement.

Xenovia smirked. This is getting fun.

Kiba once again all but disappeared from her sight, only catching sight of his afterimages running around the battlefield, and while she could reach that same speed using her leg strength, she still wasn't agile enough to match him step for step.

Then again, she didn't need to. 'Use the environment to your advantage. If you don't have it, then make one.' Taking Griselda's words to heart, Xenovia slung Excalibur Destruction backwards and slammed it down.

The blade impacted the ground, and it created another crater, this one larger than the first, but more importantly, it made Kiba lose his footing, a simple stumble that suddenly stopped his constant movement.

Xenovia grinned, rearing back for a baseball swing against Kiba. With this kind of opening, there was no need for finesse or skill. Just Excalibur Destruction hitting Kiba like this would down him easily.

She swung, using her back and hips to aid the motion, making sure to adjust so that the flat of the blade would hit, not the edge.

It was one of those moments when time slowed down.

She saw the Gremory Heir out of the corner of her eye shout out, saw her right hand tense up, the tiny girl step forward with a concerned scowl. She felt demonic energy come from them all, aimed at her and she felt Irina's holy aura come to her defense.

Kiba tensed up, eyes widening as he realized what was going to happen and as he noticed that there was nothing he could do. That didn't mean he stopped trying, arm reaching out to grab a blade, all of them too far away from him while summoning one from the ground would take far too long.

He glared defiantly, a blade still sprouting out from the ground as Excalibur rushed in, mere inches from his face.

It never made contact.

Xenovia felt her body stop even as she strained against the feeling, glowing tendrils of magic running up her whole body, from her legs, twisting around her midsection, finally crawling down the length of her arm, at least three of them pulling her hand back, slowly wrenching it away from the blond.

"What the hell's going on?"

Xenovia's eyes flickered, desperately looking for the one who did this. The bindings around her were ridiculously strong, stronger than almost anything she's ever personally seen. Probably only the strongest of people could break through these binding, she thought, struggling for a few more seconds before realizing that she couldn't do anything against it, settling for glaring at the brunnett who was pointing his- was that a crutch?- crutch at them, the other hand holding a folder.

"Issei-kun!"

"Mr. Issei!"

His eyes flickered to Irina and Asia, and Xenovia felt herself still. So this was the Hyoudou Issei her partners talked about so much? Asia certainly failed to mention just how good a magician this guy really was.

"Asia." Issei nodded politely, eyes furrowing as he faced the beaming Irina. "D-do I know you?"

"Issei-kun!" She drew back, horrified. "H-have you already forgotten about me?"

"Well...Yeah I guess." He scratched his cheek, and to his credit, he looked embarrassed about it.

"Could you please let me go." Xenovia snapped, and he turned to look at her. "My arms are getting a bit numb."

Issei frowned, looking over at Kiba then Rias, then Asia, and it was only when they all nodded at him that he did so, the magical binding simply fading away, Xenovia dropping to all fours at the unexpected loss of resistance.

"So... anyone mind telling me what's going on?" Issei scratched at the back of his head.

()()()()()()()()()

"So that's how it is." Issei nodded, looking over at Kiba. "You okay?"

"I...yeah. I'm better now." Kiba smiled weakly, taking a sip of his tea. "Thanks." He added as an afterthought. "For saving me. I...wasn't thinking clearly." He set his cup on the table, standing up and bowing to Rias. "Buchou, thank you and...sorry. For giving me that opportunity, and for shaming your name."

"Yuuto, you don't have to apologize." Rias said with a gentle smile. "Your wellbeing is more important than my reputation or that kind of thing. What matters is that you're safe, and that you know better now."

"Yes Buchou. I'll be sure to keep that in mind"

Issei hid his frown behind his cup. The pretty boy smile was there, but when Kiba opened his eyes as he turned his back to his King and her Queen, his eyes were still cold, pissed.

"Well, thanks for the tea, but I should get going." He indicated towards the folder he laid on Rias' desk. "I just came to deliver that, but lunch time's nearly over."

"Sorry for dragging you into this Issei-kun." Rias smiled awkwardly. "I'll make it up to you somehow."

"No need." Issei said dryly. "Knowing my luck, I'd have somehow gotten into the middle of this with or without your help."

"That's true I guess." Rias sighed theatrically. "My, our situation here in Kuoh has certainly become more difficult because of your presence Issei-kun."

Issei grinned cheekily. "You're welcome Rias-senpai."

"Ufufu, don't worry Issei-kun, Buchou is just being all tsuntsun to you. She'll open up sooner or later." Akeno giggled behind her hand.

"Akeno!"

"Good seeing you Akeno-san." Issei smirked. "You too Koneko-chan."

The silent white-haired girl nodded her goodbye, focused wholly on her snack.

"Let's go Kiba." Issei gestured at the prince. "Class is in a few minutes."

"See you both later."

Issei waved his goodbye, waiting for a few minutes in silence as the two of them began to walk away from the clubroom- or was it club building?- before whirling on Kiba, a minor binding attaching his wrist to the nearest tree behind him. "Oi Kiba, spill." Issei growled. "I know you were lying to Rias-senpai. You're planning on going after the Excalibur Fragments aren't you?"

"That's none of your business Issei-kun." Kiba smiled, as fake as the one he just used. "So if you don't mind, could you please let me go right no-"

"I'm making it my business." Issei cut in. He sighed, frustrated. "Look, Kiba, I consider you a friend, and I hope you do too. But this is-"

"This is my own problem to deal with Issei-kun." Kiba softened, just a bit, but it was there. "T-thank you, I really appreciate it, but this is the kind of thing I have to deal with on my own."

"Bullshit." Issei glared. "Kiba, you don't have to do it alone. You're just being selfish right now. Think of Rias-senpai and Akeno-san and Koneko-chan."

"I know!" Kiba yelled out. "I know," He repeated, softer this time. "But it's just...it feels like I'm abandoning them you know?"

Issei's eyebrows furrowed. "Them?"

The bell rang in the distance, signaling the start of fifth period.

"We're gonna be late." He smiled weakly. "Let's go before our teachers find out."

Issei mulled things over, thinking on how Sona would probably react before sighing. He snapped his fingers, releasing the magic he cast on Kiba. The blond rubbed his wrist absently. "Well, let's g-"

"Missing a few classes won't kill us." Issei said, sitting down against the trunk of a nearby tree, facing Kiba. "You mind telling me about who 'they' are? They say it helps, talking about the past." Issei offered awkwardly. No one's ever accused him of being a social butterfly, and he had the social skills of a retarded lemming, but if there's one thing he's good at, it's being stubborn as hell. Even Asama-nee had said so.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't Kaichou be mad at you?"

Issei grimaced. "Don't remind me. Well, her getting mad isn't really all that bad right now, especially since she's been teaching Saji about being a Devil, so this is the perfect time to cut classes."

"If she heard you say that, she'd lynch you." Kiba smiled in amusement, slowly leaning against a nearby tree, facing Issei, dragging himself down onto it to sit, nestled in its roots. "Well, Buchou already told you about me being part of a Holy Sword Experiment right? That's when I died, and that's when my comrades died, all of them, to make sure that I'll get revenge for them. But even then I failed them," Issei looked on understandingly even as Kiba slammed his fist against the tree behind him, back of his head knocking against it.

"I died Issei-kun. I felt myself die, and if Buchou, if Rias Gremory wasn't there too save me, we all would have been gone forever, my friends forgotten. We were experimented on." Kiba continued softly. "We weren't treated as human beings and all our rights were ignored. We, all of us believed that God was going to be there for us, that he loved us, and we were waiting for the day we would be successful. But after all of that, we were just disposed of like trash.

That's why Issei-kun, I want to give them the revenge they need."

"Kiba," Issei frowned. "Instead of thinking that they saved you because of revenge...maybe they saved you because they wanted you to live, so that you'll be happy."

Kiba stilled, and Issei was honestly surprised. 'Oi Kiba, could it be that you didn't even consider that option?'

"Because it feels like they did." Issei continued on, staring at his knees. "I know I don't know them, I know it's arrogant to say that I know what they're thinking but...don't you think that your friends saved you because they wanted to save you? They could have ran away, they could have done anything else, but they gave their lives to save you Kiba. Don't waste the life they gave you on nothing but revenge."

"But...Issei-kun, this has been my entire life? You just want me to give up on it? What do I do now? I don't have anything else."

Issei shrugged uncomfortably, not expecting him to beg like that. "Then...it's time to look for something else...I guess?"

Kiba stared at Issei, and there was something in his eyes- Desperation? fear? Happiness? Hope?- that wavered, and Issei could see the indecision war in those eyes of his. "Well," Issei slowly stood up, dusting off the back of his pants. "Let's go."

"G-go? Go where?" Kiba said, flustered, following after him. "And it's still school hours."

"Well," Issei rubbed the back of his neck. "We're going to look for Asia and...what- what were their names again?"

"Xenovia-san and Irina-san I think they were called." Kiba replied automatically before shaking his head. "Wait, why are we doing this? I thought you said that I shouldn't go for revenge?"

"Exactly." Issei nodded, trying to dig through his brain for some nuggets of wisdom from Asama. He came up short, so he resorted to bullshit from anime. "But still, you need to prove that you're stronger than Excalibur! A guy like you shouldn't be all hung up on that kind of thing, so you need to show that you've moved on and what better way to show it than by taking those lame Excaliburs and giving it to those girls! Symbolism or something from Japanese lessons"

Though calling Excalibur 'lame' was an injustice. That Excalibur the blue-haired chick was holding was a pretty impressive artifact considering the relatively patchwork job that held it together. With the proper tools, some additional research and some time, Issei was sure he could do a bit better than that.

"You're so confusing Issei-kun." Kiba laughed, a genuine, pleasant sounding laugh. He shook his head, still chuckling. "Let's go." He said cheerfully.

Issei blinked. "Huh, that worked?" He muttered to himself, following Kiba to the gate of the school. "Hey, before we start, could we just go by my house for a second? I left my phone there and I need to tell Matsuda to bring my bag around later. I kinda left it there."

"Of course." Kiba said, still with that small smile playing on his lips. "Sorry for forcing you like this. And thanks."

"You're not forcing me into this Kiba, this is what friends are for isn't it?" Issei mumbled before deciding that he's had enough of the sappy stuff and talked about what men talked about. "So what game are you playing now?"

"Well, I've kinda been busy on this whole water temple. I've been stuck for two days."

"Don't remind me of that hell." Issei frowned. "I tried to replay that and I have no idea how I finished that as a kid."

"Well, maybe you were smarter when you were a kid?"

"Oi, I'll have you kno-" Issei stopped, staring at his house as a feeling suddenly invaded his being.

"Issei-kun, is that-?" Kiba must've felt it too, and he was raising his eyebrows at Issei.

"Yeah." Issei said slowly. "I think those exorcists from before are in my house…"

"Why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Issei replied, easing the door open, probing for info about any magic cast in and on his house, but aside from the leftovers of his own forays and practices, as well as the faint sense of what he associated with the forests around Asama's shrine ever since he took in Kuroka, there was nothing.

Signaling Kiba to stay, he slowly entered his own home with trepidation, left hand glowing with power. His footsteps felt unusually loud to his own ears, each step feeling like an eternity, one that was all too fleeting to himself.

He turned the corner, almost unable to contain himself from exploding from the tension.

"Ah, Issei! Good timing!" His mother greeted a bit too cheerfully considering that he was essentially classes. "Look look, it's Irina-chan! She's grown up to be such a beautiful and proper lady hasn't she?"

Irina nodded vigorously. "Do you remember me now Issei-kun? Though if you forget me, I guess it couldn't be helped. I was such a boyish troublemaker when we were children after all."

"This is her!" Karin Hyoudou cheerfully showed her son a picture of him as a child along with a light-haired boy playing in the beach, oblivious to his previous tension.

"Wait, IRI-KUN WAS A GIRL!?" Issei's jaw dropped, pointing a finger at the pleased looking girl. "YOU'RE Iri-kun!?"

"Irina-chan's such a proper lady now." Her mother sighed fondly. "You two were so inseparable. I still remember Issei crying for days because you left to go to England.

"Issei-san is so sweet!" Asia gushed, looking at Issei with shining eyes.

Hyoudou Karin nodded happily at what she just said. "Oh, you're just so adorable Asia-chan! I just want to adopt you as my own daughter!"

'Wait, she knows Japanese?' Issei thought with surprise. 'Is she using magic?' Issei clicked off his choker, and suddenly squinting against the barrage of golden numbers cloaking Asia. There were some around Irina and the other girl too, but not to the extent of Asia's.

Karin beamed happily. "Oh, where are my manners, Issei, entertain them while I go cook lunch!"

"I will help too!" Asia stood up eagerly, following his mother into the kitchen, chatting with her idly. It made for a weird sight, considering his mom couldn't understand her, but whatever made her happy.

"Thank you Kaa-sama." Irina smiled happily, watching her go out of the room. "Well Issei-kun, you certainly changed."

"You too." Issei nodded politely, trying hard not to focus too much on what just changed. Damn, but there was no way in hell to mistake her as a boy this time around. They were huge, Issei could see that even hidden underneath that cloak. He mentally shook his head.

"I don't think so." The blue haired girl, Issei thought her name was Xenovia, said with a look of concentration. "Irina's still pretty tomboyish even now."

"Xenovia!" Irina confirmed her name for Issei. Right, she was Xenovia.

"How can Asia speak Japanese by the way?" Issei asked curiously, looking at the spot where she had just occupied. "Is there a translation spell you use?"

"In a manner of speaking." Xenovia said vaguely.

"Don't be so dramatic Xenovia." Irina rolled her eyes and began to explain. "When exorcists are welcomed to the order, there is a ritual done that allows us to speak and understand most of the languages in the world. It's called the Ritual of the Tongues of Fire."

"Don't you think you're telling him too much of the order?"

"It's not like it's a secret Xenovia." Irina rolled her eyes. "Besides, Issei-kun here's a magician, so he might learn about it soon anyway."

"Speaking of that." She stared at Issei with a curious gaze. "You're a pretty impressive magician for your age. How long have you been practicing? Irina tells me you weren't a magician when she was still staying here, and others with your level of skill usually have been at it for around ten years at least."

"How do you even know what level of magic I'm at?" Issei asked, quashing the pleasant feeling at being compared to people with a decade of experience on him and instead focusing on the worrying implication that there was someone spying on him. Was it-

"Asia told me about your duel with that devil in Italy. Most people start their training towards magic as children and adolescents and only begin dueling once they've been practicing for four years on average, but even then that's only with both standing still. I don't believe three-dimensional duels are on the curriculum of the major schools of magic. What rank do you hold right now?"

"Yes Issei-san, you were very amazing at magic!" Asia nodded with a smile. "Though I didn't really understand what was going on."

"A while." Issei said vaguely, though it was probably around three or four months, not really counting those weeks where he was merely introduced to it by Sona, instead only including his self study sessions with a little input from Asama for runecrafting and Ajuka when he felt like it. Still, he wasn't stupid enough to say that to a potential enemy.

Xenovia gave him a knowing look, and Issei realized she probably understood what he was aiming for, so he simply gave her a shrug.

"Issei! Your friend was waiting outside." His mother came in, Kiba in town, looking inordinately pleased at that fact. Kiba laughed in embarrassment upon receiving a flat look from Issei. "She saw me waiting outside." He explained awkwardly, taking the free seat beside Issei.

"What are you doing here?" Irina asked with a curious tilt of her head. "Ne ne, Issei-kun, why's a devil here? Does he want the Excaliburs or something?"

"Well, it has something to do with that." Issei scratched at his cheek.

"Do you still wish to destroy them?" Xenovia asked, there was no excess curiosity there, no judgement, just someone wanting to know the truth.

"I honestly don't know anymore." Kiba replied in kind, respecting her question by being straight to the point. "I guess that's why we're here to help you get those swords back, seeing those...seeing the Excalibur Fragments might help me… I don't know, it might, it might not, but doing this is the easiest way to find out isn't it?"

"I see." Xenovia nodded. "Although I did ask Gremory and Sitri to stay away from this situation, it would not help to have a little help, especially since it isn't a High-Class Devil who's asking, but a human magician and his friend who just so happens to be a devil."

"So...that's it then?" Issei asked. "You're going to let us help you?"

"This feels so anticlimactic for some reason." Kiba sighed. "Then again, I'm not even sure just what I want anymore."

"Dinner's ready everyone!" His mother cheerfully called out from the dining room.

"Yes! We made soup!"

"It's called miso Asia-chan."

"Mi-so?"

"Well, let's-" Issei paused as he suddenly heard a rumbling noise. Kiba and him turned to look at the bluenette in front of them who was steadfastly keeping her head higher than usual. Kiba cracked a smile even as Issei and Irina laughed, Xenovia refusing to acknowledge their existence.

"Let's just eat right now." Issei suggested, trying hard not to smile at the expression on Xenovia's face. "And give me your number so it's easier to contact each other when we need to."

"Irina's the one who has the phone."

"Don't worry Issei-kun!" Irina saluted. "Your mother already gave me your contact information so no worries!"

"Oi Kaa-san, why are you giving off my info like that so easily?'

()()()()()()()()()

"Woah man, you look like shit." Matsuda said when he saw Kiba, and Issei had to agree. The usually impeccable Prince of Kuoh looked like he'd been through a blender, his clothes usually pristine all ruffled, his tie looking more like a rope tied around his neck, his eyes bloodshot and hair a disorganized mess.

"I couldn't sleep." He muttered, all but collapsing onto a nearby desk, taking out a piece of packaged bread, taking a pretty long time opening it up. "I was pretty busy."

"Finally decided to man up and ask Gremory-senpai out?" Matsuda wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, it's just…" Kiba wiped his palm down his face. "Forget it. It's my own problem."

"Oi, you sure?" The former jock asked, dropping the act. "You look like you're seriously stressed out. My parents always tell me that talking about it helps."

"No, it's...it's fine guys. Seriously. Thanks for the concern, but this is something I really have to do myself. It's one of those things that feel like I'll never get over if I don't do it you know?" Kiba looked up to the ceiling.

"Well…If you're sure." Motohama shrugged. "So I ran into three foreigners on the way, and they were all bishoujos, seriously. They looked like they were all European."

Issei nearly choked on his canned coffee. 'What the hell are they doing?!'

"They were so weird though. They were all wearing cloaks and even had the hoods up. Ah, but there was one blonde girl who was so beautiful, and when she smiled, it felt like I was going to heaven." Motohama sighed. "She looked like she was a nun though, so I don't think I have a chance with her."

"Like you ever did." Matsuda snorted.

"Kiba," Issei whispered to the blond. "Did they say anything to you about what we're going to do?"

"I didn't give them my contact info." Kiba shrugged. "Maybe they'll mail you later. Call me when you do."

"I don't have your address."

"Seriously? Well, here." Kiba handed over his smartphone, the latest one in the series of a high-end brand.

"Wow, Rias-senpai must really treat you guys well." Issei said, impressed in spite of himself. "All of you guys have this?"

"Well, Buchou is technically a princess." Kiba smiled slyly. "I know that she'll give you one if you join her peerage."

"You too?" Issei rose an eyebrow in amazement. "How brainwashed are you Kiba?"

"Just thought it'd be nice to give back to Buchou." Kiba's lips twitched. "She's been a pretty big help to me." He took his phone back, staring at it idly. "You know, Issei-kun, you've been a pretty big help to me too." He stared at Issei's eyes, who began to fidget uncomfortably.

"It's nothing, don't-"

"It's not nothing Issei-kun." Kiba gently said. "Please don't say that. This...helping me with this Excalibur thing, you have no obligation to do this for me, I would understand it if you were a fellow devil, because I understand that I made Buchou's life harder for my own selfishness, but you're not, you're just helping me without expecting anything in return." He abruptly stood up, silencing Matsuda and Motohama's conversation as well as the entire classroom's, all of whom were trying desperately to look like they weren't focusing on the two them.

"Thank you Issei-kun, for everything."

"O-oi, don't do that." Issei snapped, looking around the room. There were girls who were blushing as they looked at them. "Seriously, just stop. B-break's going to end, so go back to your classroom would you?"

"I'll see you after school Issei-kun." Kiba smiled.

'I hate you Kiba Yuuto.' Issei swore in his heart as the women around them all squealed. 'I know you did that last one to screw with me.'

After several uncomfortable classes where he was being sent looks at by women- not the ones he actually wanted- Issei finished school by texting Kiba and heading directly towards the nearest family restaurant in the city where Xenovia, Irina and Asia said they were at. As usual, it didn't take long to find them, owing to the fact that they were still wearing those cloaks. Well, Asia wasn't, but her habit still stood out like a sore thumb against the more normally dressed people in the building.

"Have you found the blades yet?" Issei asked, sipping at his coffee- their treat- as he looked over upside down at the map Xenovia and Irina were looking at across him at their booth. "And what's the map for?"

"I'm still unfamiliar with this town." Xenovia frowned, chewing on a pen. "So...this is where we are at?"

"That's the opposite side of town." Irina sighed, moving Xenovia's finger to a different point on the map. "How are you this bad at geography?"

"I never found a use for it." Xenovia frowned. "I usually let Irina take the lead, but she says that I should memorize this place because it's her home."

"You should! There are lots of things to do here! Like, the playground right around…" Irina trailed off, tilting her head at the map. "Issei-kun, where's the old park where we played as kids?"

"The playground? You mean the ones with the swings and the monkey bars? I think it got replaced by a park a few years ago."

"O-oh… r-right. Things change after a few years." Irina mumbled, glancing at his legs. "If only I was here…"

Issei rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like I died Irina. I got into an accident and learned magic. It's not really much. Besides, I don't think you would have been able to do something if you stayed anyway. In the end, everything worked out fine, so isn't it okay?"

"But still, Asia, can't you-"

"I'm sorry Irina-san, but I don't think it will work." Asia smiled sadly. "I already tried it and it didn't do anything. But, I could try again if you want me to Issei-san, it might be able to-"

"Thank you Asia." Issei threw his head back against the cushion of his seat. "But I'm fine as I am. I mean, yeah it took me a while to get used to it, but I'm pretty happy with my life as it is right now. Even if it is pretty weird."

"But-"

"Enough Irina." Xenovia stopped her, not looking up from the map. "Issei here has shown a kind of courage and pride that not many people can boast to having. Do not attempt to take that away from him. He deserves to be respected for his decision and strength, not to be pitied for the same reasons."

Irina looked away, biting her lips but stayed silent.

"So, Issei, where do you think the Fallen Angel is staying?" Xenovia squinted at the map. "Do you think he's at one of the hotels?"

Issei nearly choked on his coffee. "Why the hell would a Fallen Angel actually stay here in the first place? Isn't that what magic's for? Teleporting? And he can fly right? Why would you assume that a Fallen Angel leader is staying in a hotel?"

Xenovia shrugged. "It seems like a reasonable assumption. Maybe he's waiting for orders from his superior?"

"I don't know, don't ask me." Issei held his hands up. "But if you're serious, I think that the best hotel in the town is-"

"Aren't those the devils in Kuoh Academy? What are they doing here?" Asia asked, pointing out the window, and Issei wanted to slam his head on the table as Kiba smiled awkwardly at them, waving hesitantly while his entire peerage members were at his back, looking at them in amusement.

"We're going to need a bigger booth." Irina frowned, noting that the table they were at could only seat four people at once.

"Just…this is becoming needlessly complicated." Issei sighed, looking up as Rias entered the door first, the whole group turning heads easily.

"Hello Issei-kun, Asia-san, Xenovia-san, Irina-san. It's a beautiful day isn't it?" Rias smiled, sitting down on a longer table, motioning for them to switch seats. "Yuuto, order something for us okay? Just a coffee for me thank you."

"I will have tea if they have it." Akeno requested.

"...hamburger and milkshake." Koneko ordered the poor blond.

"Y-yes ma'am." He said meekly, bowing his head. Issei felt sorry for his friend, but honestly, he thought that Kiba deserved it too. At the very least, he made for an entertaining sight.

"So, Xenovia-san, I thought that you requested that we devils not interfere in your work while you're in this town. Why the sudden change of heart?" Rias asked cheekily, tapping an elegant finger against the top of the table.

"It wasn't us that requested aid, but rather, it was Issei who asked to help us in our mission." Xenovia said stiffly. "It just so happened that the one he was bringing along was a devil."

Rias laughed softly, and Issei swore that a guy that was sitting nearby got slapped by the girl he was with for staring at her. "It's always politicking isn't it? Honestly Xenovia-san, if you had just asked, I would have gladly given you any aid I was capable of giving."

"This mission was entrusted to us by the cardinals of the Church themselves, we do not want to soil their trust in us." Xenovia replied.

Irina sighed. "You Catholics are so old-fashioned. So what if we accept the help of some devils? Even God worked with Satan once didn't He?"

"Didn't He just gave Satan permission to destroy a man's life?" Akeno asked with her eyes closed peacefully.

"He was merely testing Job's faith." Xenovia said heatedly, standing up from her seat. "It wasn't like that at all!"

"You're making too much noise Xenovia-san." Asia tugged at her cloak, glancing around at the room.

"The point is," Irina gave a pointed glance at the bluenette. "We simply want to accomplish this task of ours as quickly and as orderly as possible, and if that results in us having to team up with devils, then we do not mind that kind of thing."

"Do you even know where to look for the Excaliburs?" Rias asked curiously. "For all you know, it might not even be in this dimension. Perhaps they took it to another place entirely and only stopped here to throw you off."

"No." Xenovia shook her head. "The swords are definitely here. The cardinals made sure of it, and they would have called us if they changed locations or if they have found it. As of now, the swords are still in this general area."

"Well, if you're sure." Rias shrugged. "Ah Yuuto, thank you." Rias accepted the cup of coffee that her Knight offered her. "So, it seems that you got into some trouble when I wasn't looking."

Kiba flushed, and coughed in embarrassment. "Sorry for the trouble Buchou. If you want me to stop, then I-"

"Yuuto." Rias shushed him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Your problems are our problems, all of us. You may not think of us as such, but I consider all of you as my family, and I want to help you in your troubles."

"T-thank you." Kiba looked down on the table, hiding his eyes from them. "That means a lot to me."

"Us too…" Koneko patted Kiba on his shoulder, and actually showing her emotion outwardly for the first time since Issei's seen her. "Yuuto-senpai means a lot to us too."

'Fuck'. Issei thought, staring at the white-haired girl and resisting the urge to clutch at his heart and scream out her cuteness to the world. 'Kiba, if you don't stop being an emo right now, I will freaking hit you.'

Kiba looked down at the loli and sighed, actually laughing a little."well, if Koneko-chan says something like that, I can't exactly argue can't I?"

"Ah!" Akeno lit up brightly. "So Yuuto-kun's a lolicon! That's why I never saw you looking at us in any way." She shook her head in (probably)mock disappointment, glancing at Issei from the corner of her eye. "Or if the rumors about you are correct, maybe you aren't interested in women at all?"

Koneko scrunched up her nose in an absolutely adorable gesture that was ruined by her words. "So Issei-senpai is really into men then?"

"I am not! What are you people even talking about?!" Issei clutched at his head. "Aren't we supposed to discuss what we're going to do?"

"Yes, I agree." Xenovia put in, looking confused at what was going on. "Aren't we supposed to be planning?"

"A little bit of fun is good every now and then." Asia smiled, clapping her hands together. "Right?"

"You must protect this being with your life." Issei told Xenovia and Irina seriously. "She must not be corrupted by the real world."

()()()()()()()()()

In the end, nothing really happened that day. They split up into groups, the trio, Issei with Koneko and Kiba, and Rias and Akeno, but they didn't manage find anything relevant. Well, after he separated from Koneko and Kiba, he did see Kuroka just lazing around the park area, which solved the problem of where exactly she went during the daytime.

His mother frequently told him that the cat routinely disappeared everyday after he left for school and came back at the evening. Pretty weird really.

"Oi Issei, what did you do yesterday? You looked like you were in a rush." Matsuda asked, looking back to Issei, taking advantage of the fact that their teacher went off to go and get their papers. "Were you on a date with someone?"

Motohama snickered besides Issei. "Like that could ever happen. He was probably off to buy some game or something."

"What the hell do you mean I could never get a date? I so could." Issei huffed.

"Oh? So you're finally asking Sona-kaichou out? Nice one Issei." Matsuda gave a thumbs up. "I'll be expecting our own clubroom soon."

"You seriously want me to ask Kaichou out just for that?" Issei shook his head in exasperation. "That's got to be the stupidest thing you ever thought of so far."

"If it works, then it's not-"

Issei suddenly felt it out of nowhere, a point probably a kilometer off from the school suddenly gathering a ridiculous amount of magic, so much so that it was literally impossible for anyone magically inclined in the town to miss it.

"Get down!" He screamed, and the whole class jumped, looking at him as if he suddenly lost his mind, but Issei paid it no mind.

The magical equivalent of an artillery shell was suddenly approaching the school, and though there was a barrier around it, he doubted it could stand up to something like that, especially considering that there were more approaching.

 **[Boost!]**

His gauntlet revealed itself abruptly, and he immediately used the power up he gained to support the barrier, adding an additional layer around only the main school building itself instead of the whole grounds to maximize the power output using as little magic as possible.

If he was correct in his assumption, and he hoped that he was wrong, then there was going to be a battle in the school in just a few more minutes. He took a glance at the gauntlet on his arm. 'Don't tell anyone about your Boosted Gear.' He remembered Asama's words. He snorted. Well, guess he had no choice but to become so powerful that people would think twice about challenging him. Like that would ever happen.

The missiles hit the barrier, one after the other, and while it fizzed out slightly, it still managed to stand up relatively well against them. He still ran over it and felt magical 'cracks' running down its length, which honestly worried him. He didn't know it extensively enough to be able to completely fix it on the fly, so he did the best he did, 'stitching' it up and hoping it was enough.

He knew it wasn't, but sometimes, the only thing one could really do was hope against hope.

"Hyoudou-kun!" Sona's voice resounded from the sound system, and a small magical circle sprouted on top of the teacher's desk, depositing a small furball-looking thing holding out a pamphlet towards him.

Whispers spread out over the room, and he could feel the sudden tension erupt across his classmates.

"Take this circle and use it on the students of Kuoh! It will put them in a safe place away from Kuoh Town! Quickly before things get worse!"

Issei took the paper sharply, taking a single look at the circle inscribed into it, shutting off his choker, burning the image to his mind.

"Oi, Hyoudou, what's going on?" The class representative asked, standing up cautiously. "What..what is that thing."

"Sorry, but you'll have to ask that thing later." Issei said tersely, conjuring up the circle beneath the entire room, the glow startling them enough that he heard a few shouts from some of them. "Kaichou will explain later."

"What the he-"

The entire class disappeared, off to wherever the hell the circle links to. He scowled, looking out the window. "What the hell is going on?"

He flooded his body with as much magic as it could take in without breaking his bones and ripping his muscles apart. He ran out the door, a circle supporting his bad leg every time it descended.

He slammed open the door of the next class who were all muttering to each other, the teacher trying desperately to keep them all calm. "What is goin-"

Issei didn't let him finish. He formed the same circle underneath them all, opting for the act now, questions later approach in this kind of crisis.

"Oi, what's going on?" He asked the floating thing that was running alongside him. "Who the hell is attacking us?"

"Sona-sama confirmed that the ones who are doing this are Fallen Angels."

"Tch. Are they attacking the town too?" Issei growled, thinking of his parents who were completely defenseless against something like this. "What the fuck are they thinking? Why in the middle of the day dammit!"

He slammed open another door, and another, and another. By the time he was finally done with all the first years, Kiba was there to meet up, already having a blade in hand. "Issei-kun, do you know what's going on?"

"I was kind hoping you guys did." Issei scowled at the ground. "Are the second years evacuated yet?"

"Yes." Kiba nodded. "Buchou's familiar told me that she took care of the second years while Sona helped the third years. Right now, Buchou's dealing with the middle school."

Issei staggered as the barrier around the grounds just shattered. He saw Fallen Angels against the midday sun, all of them rapidly approaching the school itself.

"Well," Issei said, trying his hardest not to show just how nervous he was, just how quickly his heart was beating against his chest. "on the bright side, I always wanted to be a hero."

Kiba smirked. "Good a time as any." He crouched low, took a slow start, and jumped out the window.

"Dammit." Issei muttered, breaking out into a sprint and following the blond knight out of the window and right in front of the school's main entrance, a circle forming underneath his feet, and once he passed through it, he created another and another. At a high enough speed, a circle meant to slow a fall would be useless if all that momentum was stopped in a single instant. A single circle would be a bit useless except to mark his death with a pretty crimson splash.

"Well," Kiba started, squinting up at the sky. "There's a lot of them."

"That's a lot of Fallen Angels." Issei agreed, trying hard not to let the waver in his voice show. He wasn't quite sure if he was successful, but Kiba acted as if he didn't notice. "Hey Kiba, think you could cover me? I'm going to put up barriers around the school." Issei tried to remember every single defensive spell he's ever encountered and even just thought of, as well as inventing new ones on the fly. "I don't think we can stand against that many of them."

And it was true. There were around a hundred of them at least. And that was only the ones he could see approaching the school. He wasn't quite sure of it, but he thought he saw other groups still off in the distance.

"I'll do my best." Kiba replied, and his voice sounded tight, though Issei returned the courtesy and didn't mention it to him.

"Why the hell are Fallen Angels attacking us?!" A voice asked them hysterically from behind, and Issei looked back to see Diodora Astaroth running towards them from the hallways of Kuoh. "What the hell is going on?"

"What are you doing here?" Kiba asked, tightening his grip on his sword.

"I was fucking attacked while I was just walking down the street. I barely just managed to get inside this damn place before the barrier around it got all beefed up. Your doing?"

"Yeah." Issei scowled up at the horde floating in front of the school's gate, just outside the now-shattered barrier that was erected around it. "Dammit, so they're not even going to hide from the people?"

"I think...I think this is an act of war." Diodora said, and his voice was tinged with a horrible realization. "Holy shit, I think they really do want to restart the war."

As if to screw with them all, a voice called out to them, one full of authority. "Gremory! Sitri! Astaroth! Phenex!" While it definitely sounded like bad news, it was still preferable to being attacked by them all, so Issei took the chance to craft a few more circles around the main building, adding a few runes to reinforce it. He wasn't sure if it could stand up to those artillery from before, but it was the best he could think of under the circumstances.

Diodora moved to go, but hesitated. He only continued when Issei shoved him forward, shrugging as the devil glared hard at him. Still, he did show himself to the Fallen Angels though Issei was seriously thankful that he wasn't dumb enough to step out of the radius of the circle.

The Fallen Angel who stood in front of the gathered group was a beast of a man, over six feet tall and the build to match, with a barrel of a chest, arms that looked like they could punch straight through steel and the legs that said it could snap a tree like a twig, all clad in a formal looking three-piece suit complete with tie, and black slacks. The features that stood out the most however, was the ten wings proudly spread out behind him, each of them as dark as the crow's eyes.

"Astaroth," He nodded, in respect? Begrudging acknowledgment? Just a formality? Issei wasn't quite sure. "Where are the others? I would prefer if the other High-Class Devils currently residing in this town would hear what I have to say."

"They're not here yet." Diodora said, stuttering slightly. Honestly, Issei was a bit impressed that he  
didn't completely break down. The Fallen Angel's aura was honestly terrifying. "I'm all you got for now."

"A pity." He sighed. "I know for sure that Kokabiel-sama would prefer that this message got to all four of you before it started. Ah well, I'm sure he'll understand. Maria, start the attack. We need to be able to hold the heart of the leylines as soon as possible."

Issei blinked. The leylines! He forgot all about that, the suddenness of the attack actually overtaking everything but his hard-earned reactionary spells.

He could still do this, he just needed a few minutes to tap into it, and he'd have access to the greatest leyline in Kuoh Academy as well as the power that ran across it.

He realized it may not be that easy when, in almost complete unison, the Fallen Angels rained down a multitude of differently colored spears against the barriers he set up around the building. Each of them didn't do all that much to the magical shieldings he's created, every part of it supporting the other so that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

But the artillery came, and fucked that up. Each hit shook the shield, almost visibly shuddering, all but groaning at each assault.

Issei grit his teeth. Nothing, nothing he's studied even prepared him for a damn siege.

So, leylines it is.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He gathered his magic into his core, waiting till the naturally aggressive energies began to stabilize and held it for a few seconds.

Then, he tentatively extended the 'fingers' of his magic and hesitantly 'touched' the nexus of pure magical energies.

The books described linking into a leyline as one of the most powerful things a practitioner could ever do, right up there with linking directly into a god or other beings made of pure power. They said that it would be disorienting at first, and if the magician wasn't careful, they might even lose themselves to the raging river of energies, their consciousness swept away by the tide, forever to be lost and their very beings being added to the leyline itself.

The books did not do the experience justice. Nothing he read about it could ever prepare him for the experience. It wasn't a magical circle, not even close. Magical circles at least were ordered, logical. A leyline, specially one as powerful as this one, was nothing but pure chaos, there was absolutely no telling what was going on.

It wasn't numbers that made up its existence, no, the thing was pure energy, magic in one of its purest, rawest forms.

And it assaulted Issei's being. He had expected it to be like taming a wild animal. It'd buck him a bit before he gained control, enough to be able to use it as he wished.

It wasn't. The experience was more akin to jumping into the heart of a typhoon, like running into a raging fire and expecting it to bend to his will.

He strained and tried to stand his ground, but it did him no good. Everytime he tried to find a foothold, the currents simply swept him away as if he wasn't there. Every action resulted in him getting weaker and weaker, and he felt his own body try to shut down, his own mind whispering to just give up and be part of the calming, soothing waves. Why was he fighting against it again? It was so much better to just go with the flow, to simply lay back and-

 **[Are you really so weak that you would lose to nothing but energy?]**

The voice shook his very being, and the haze covering his consciousness suddenly lifted, and his focus was sharper than ever.

 **[You are a Dragon My Host, and Dragons do not bend to anything. I would sooner die than to have my pride as one of the mightiest of my kind be tarnished by something as humiliating as losing my own host to a leyline.]**

He tried to stand against the tide, because even he wasn't quite stupid enough to not know who was speaking to him. Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon Emperor, and when he spoke, you damn well listen. But it was still fruitless. The stream was just too strong, and he was too inexperienced with dealing with masses of pure chaos that he had no idea where to start. Still, he stood and he weathered the storm, and that seemed like it was enough to impress the dragon in his soul.

 **[Hmm, inexperienced, crippled, but powerful. With the fortitude fitting of a dragon. Yes, there might be hope for you yet My Host.]**

And suddenly, he felt a presence touch his own, began to guide him against the indiscriminate attack of the leyline, and he felt himself grasp it.

 **[Boost!]**

 **[Do as a Dragon would, and reclaim what is rightfully yours. Do not let anyone encroach on your territory My Host, and to those that do, well,]** The ancient dragon chuckled harshly. **[remind them of the powers a Dragon has, and crush them with overwhelming might.]**

Suddenly, he was back in the real world, Sona hovering over him in concern. "Hyoudou-kun! Are you okay?"

"Did...did I collapse or something?" Issei asked slowly, sitting up much to the protest of Tsubasa beside him. He frowned. "Where's Tsubaki?" It wasn't like the Queen to not be at her King's side, especially in an occasion like this. He saw Tsubasa, Hanakai and Meguri out of the corner of his eye.

"She's with Akeno on the other side of the school." The Student Council President explained for him, looking outwards to where the general - at least Issei assumed he was the general, he didn't really introduce himself - was observing them stoically. "What happened to you?"

"You just collapsed." Kiba confirmed, hands white against his sword, tapping his foot impatiently. "I thought that you were attacked."

"No...No, it wasn't that." Issei picked up his crutch, wringing his neck. "I tapped into the leyline."

"You what!?" Sona asked in outrage. "Hyoudou-kun, that was an incredibly dangerous thing you just did! What were you thinking!?"

"It's the only thing I could think of under the circumstances." Issei shrugged. "But...I think I could take them now." Issei gestured to the contingent inside the grounds of the school and it was only then did Sona notice what was on his arm.

"Is that-"

"The Boosted Gear." Rias finished, looking at him with a very shrewd glint to her eyes. "You never told me about this." She said mildly. As if to punctuate her statement, the gem set in the back of his gauntlet shined a bright emerald.

 **[Boost!]**

"Me too." Sona said quietly, and Issei flinched at the flicker of hurt that crossed her expression. "But I understand." She nodded with a sigh, and Issei couldn't help but smile at her. "I may not like it, but I understand any reasoning you might have. Just…I expect an explanation later, when this is over okay?"

"Sure." Issei stepped out to the courtyard slowly, his finger tracing the edges of his choker. "Oh and, if it isn't too much to ask, could you help with the other guys? I don't think I can take that leader guy when others are butting in."

"Wait, Issei-kun, you're planning on fighting him alone?" Rias asked, alarmed.

Issei shrugged, simply holding up his Boosted Gear. "It's not like I want to, but I think I'm the most capable one here right now."

"That...hurts my pride as a High Class Devil more than I'd like to admit." Rias admitted.

"Me as well." Sona said, pushing up her glasses to look over at the Fallen Angel still staring at them, the horde at his back still persistently carrying on with their bombardment.

 **[Boost!]**

"And that's three." Issei said idly, slowly and methodically forming a new circle underneath each construct, all of them having more information than the last, and with the power of the leylines and his own Sacred Gear backing him up, he decided to make this collection denser and more powerful than his usual ones.

He had power to spare.

Issei felt the excitement in the construct, all but vibrating in the excess magical power he pumped into it. He didn't try to wrestle control over it, and instead, he rode the flow.

It burst out of his circle in an eruption of color that surprised even him. He's never actually tried tapping into a leyline before, and the results were ridiculous. The spears of pure magic he launched topped anything he's ever produced before, each single strand having more 'weight' to it than most of his previous works.

Of course, unfortunately, the Fallen Angels weren't idiots and as such, instead of trying to block it to show off like they usually did in anime, they simply spread their wings, halting their bombings and took to the skies.

Issei's eyes narrowed. Yeah, it wouldn't be that easy wouldn't it?

Their numbers did still thin out a hair or two when the devils behind him took their own shot at the Fallen Angels, but there were still, so many of them.

So he bent the magic he casted, and he could almost see the panic set in as the ends of it began to nip at their heels, the sheer magical energy within them almost burning them up.

"Enough!" Chazakiel yelled out, suddenly appearing between his host and the spell, and with a single gesture, tried to override Issei's magic.

He was immensely powerful, and that act alone nearly caused Issei to lose control of his own constructions. Still, when he felt it just about to fade out, Issei simply forced his magic to spike, destabilizing his own spell and forcing it to burst. It left him breathing heavily for a while, sweating at the nervousness he's felt, but the boost from his gauntlet overrode that.

"So the Red Dragon Emperor is in this country of all places." The Fallen Angel tch'd, looking at Issei with an impressed looking stare. "Hmm, Roshan, Aalok," He called out behind him, and Issei had to stop from wincing when Chazakiel stared at him hard. "let's end him before he becomes a nuisance. Kokabiel-sama will not be pleased when we delay."

Fuck, this wasn't how it worked in anime. Issei had to put up a barrier when the three of them each simultaneously launched a spear at him, a trio of blue, pink and orange. In any other opportunity, Issei would have ridiculed the latter colors of choice. This time, he couldn't do it considering each one of them hit with the force of a bullet train. They were each so strong that it physically rocked him backwards, the force hitting past the protection he himself created and actually reaching his body.

He really should invest in a better shield. He never even thought of occasions where the force behind the attacks could punch through it entirely. 'Still,' he thought, magically latching onto the nearest tree and throwing it towards the Fallen Angels, making sure to reinforce it with magic to give it a fighting chance, 'why are there so many ridiculous things happening in this tiny town?!'

The tree erupted into splinters, and without warning, a fallen angel was right in front of him, raised fist glowing an ominous purple. Issei instinctively raised his hands over his head, a barrier following suit, self-preservation instincts trying to protect his own self as much as possible.

The fist impacted it, rattling the construct but otherwise, it held up perfectly. Issei didn't quite expect a foot to suddenly smash down on him from above, and that was when cracks began to form on its surface, all the more so when the Fallen who had swung his fist at him-Roshan?- began to pound away at his shield.

He took the force that radiated from his shield and tried to condense it, tried to force it into a spear, a bomb, a wave, anything that could give him some more time to prepare, but the two of them were having none of it, made all the worse when Chazakiel himself came to join the foray. He desperately tried to look for any incoming help, but all of the devils in the school were busy with their own battles.

 **[Boost!]**

He snarled, feeling his own reserves top up and more, nearly 'spilling over' and completely wasting it. He glared at the Fallen Angels in front of him, digging deep into the ground and willing his magic into it, turning it malleable, forcing it to move to his whims.

The very ground underneath them suddenly turned into an explosion of earthen spears tipped in his magic, everywhere in a five meter radius around Issei suddenly crumbling inwards and downwards.

The trio flew up and into the sky, each of them forming spears in their hands, and Issei prepared to retaliate, grabbing onto the latest casualty in their fight, large debris from the school building, and flinging it towards them.

One, two, three exploded towards them, fast enough that each of them broke the sound barrier, the friction caused by the air heating up the front of the cement block.

It still broke apart when they neared the three boss-like creatures, but it gave Issei enough time to plan his next steps.

Of course, that plan went to shit when the they moved even faster this time, Roshan and Aalok showing up in front of him again, Chazakiel at his back.

His built up power, instead of being used in magical equations, was instead delegated to being released in an extremely powerful, yet wasteful, wave around him, the gauntlet even declaring [Explosion!]. It may not have been a particularly smart move, but it was the only thing he thought of in that single moment that could have ended with him not getting gutted like a fish.

He nearly collapsed to his knees, more so when his gauntlet dimmed down, the declared [Reset!] feeling like a foot in the grave.

Chazakiel didn't monologue. He didn't sneer at him, didn't say anything. He just formed a spear of light in his right hand, nodded in acknowledgment, and crouched low.

That was when an inferno suddenly covered the place where he was at.

Issei didn't question it, didn't take a moment to gape or the like, he simply stoked the flames, forcing it into a tighter space, constraining the heat and flames inside a tightly compressed ball only a few meters across, each addition from the source to the ball of pure fire compressing it even further.

Even where he was, Issei felt the heat of the thing, enough to make him sweat, and some of that sweat to evaporate off his skin.

It also hurt. Seeing the amount of numbers it had, seeing it compress, become denser, further and further hurt his eyes an ungodly amount, nearly as much as the brightness of the glowing orb which was now a hot white.

Issei didn't turn to look at Riser Phenex, but he was still grateful for the devil's presence. He stomped his foot on the ground, hard, and the gravity in the confines of the floating sphere suddenly increased exponentially. It was a lot easier than usual circles of the same purpose, especially since leylines supported geocentric magic the most, being closer to the earth than any of the other primal four elements.

 **[Boost!]**

"So you have some bite in you after all." Riser grunted, taking a blow from Roshan, and Issei felt more than he saw the wings of fire spread behind his back. "I have to admit, I did not expect you of all people to wield the Boosted Gear." He shouted out, wings reaching out and burning the spear of light to ashes. How that worked, Issei didn't have the time to fully find out, because Chazakiel broke free from his impromptu prison, clothes singed and tattered, burns running up his limbs and even some of his feathers, but was otherwise unharmed. Pissed to be sure, but relatively okay.

If he was being honest, Issei was kinda hoping that a devil that was named Phenex could do more damage with fire, but the fires was hot enough to turn white, so he chalked it up to Chazakiel simply being ridiculously durable.

Issei slightly bent his legs, crafted a circle underneath his feet...and turned tail to run away from Chazakiel.

If those two mooks was stronger than they showed, then Chazakiel sure as hell was stronger too, and Issei was not going to fight him without at least four of his Boosts.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei ducked underneath a Fallen Angel's spear, pointing the end of his crutch at the Fallen's leg and launched just enough kinetic force onto it. He heard the disturbingly loud snapping, heard the scream of agony, but he tried his damndest to ignore it and kept going, aware that Chazakiel was catching up to him, would have caught up to him if it wasn't for the multiple circles he's using on his own self, acceleration circles, reinforcement circles, and even with a headstart, Chazakiel was still gaining ground fast.

He grabbed onto two Fallen Angels that Kiba was having trouble with, a whip of crimson energy snaking around their waist before throwing one in the way of Rias' errant stream of destruction and the other one straight up. He didn't look to see if they survived or not.

 **[Boost!]**

"Fuck!" Issei yelled out when Chazakiel's latest spear nicked him in the arm, the heat of it instantly cauterizing the wound. He stomped his foot again, using the power provided by the leyline, and created a thick earthen wall between him and Chazakiel. With another gesture, it lifted from the ground and flew towards the Fallen Angel. Without waiting to see what happened, he crafted spikes made from the ground, firing each one of them like a bullet.

Chazakiel burst through the huge slab of rock easily, creating a small hole in the middle of it, halting its momentum easily so that it fell over, and magic covered his limbs, actually punching the spears so that it burst apart.

"You're more troublesome than you're worth boy." He glared, seething. "If it weren't for you, we would have finished taking over this school already."

"I'm gifted that way." Issei said, eyes flicking around everywhere wildly, looking for anything that he could use in the current battlefield, flashes appearing in his vision.

Riser Phenex was holding up surprisingly well against his opponent, though even he was beginning to look tired already.

Rias looked beat up, and Issei felt that her reserves starting to run low, Akeno standing at her back, looking better than her King but still somehow battered.

Sona and Tsubaki seemed better than their counterparts, but they were still surrounded, and every time they moved to face one, the others drew in more and more.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei didn't have time to look any further because Chazakiel was once again in his face, grabbing at the back of his head before he could even do anything, before he could even see him move. "Fu-"

His world became nothing but an explosion of pain, suddenly curled over on the knee of Chazakiel. Another blow hit the back of his head, and Issei was sure that he would have died if it wasn't for his reinforcement and the barrier around him. Another hit suddenly slammed into his face, and he was thrown away from Chazakiel, a crater forming at his landing.

He tried to move, tried to do anything, but he couldn't even breath properly. He tried to pull himself up, but his arms were too weak, and when he tried to push up, his arms failed him. He heard Chazakiel's footsteps approaching him, and he tried to make a barrier, tried to defend himself.

"Kokabiel-sama told me that I shouldn't go all out." He said in a deceptively calm voice, lifting him up by the front of his shirt. "If I output anything above half of my power, then his plan might be destroyed." Issei's barrier was destroyed before it could even fully form, Chazakiel's fist ripping past it like it wasn't even there. He didn't let go, and Issei was only half conscious even as he felt Chazakiel's grip on him shake. "Oi, you're the Red Dragon Emperor right? Then fight. That's what you're all about right?"

Issei vaguely heard someone call out his name, but it was muted by the air when he was suddenly thrown, hard enough to break the sound barrier. The sudden acceleration very nearly ripped his body apart, and the sudden stop at the end, his body hitting the concrete wall of a building, did nothing to help.

It hurt. Everything hurt. Issei instinctively tried to reach out to his crutch, but his hands found nothing. He vomited, and he wasn't sure if it was blood or saliva or what. 'I lost my crutch.' He thought numbly, trying to move but finding that his legs refused to listen to his commands. 'My foot's stuck on something.' He thought, trying to wiggle free of whatever it is that caught him.

The light shining down on him disappeared, and he squinted as the dark figure loomed down on him. "For what it is worth, you would have been an excellent magician in a few years."

Issei felt a brief flash of near-blinding pain, and he looked down to see that spear was set, dead center in his chest.

 **[Reset!]**

He collapsed soon after, feeling his own blood flowing out of the hole where his heart used to be. If this was death, then it wasn't so bad. Sure it hurt a little, but it just kinda faded away after a while. It was actually kinda sleepy too, and if he just closed his eyes then…

 **[Oi Partner, you are not going to die so easily.]**

Who was that? Why was there- Ah, that was Ddraig wasn't it? The dragon inside him? And dying? He was dying? Was he? He could still feel his-

Issei almost started. He didn't have a heart anymore. What? Then how was he still alive?

 **[You're a few seconds away from dying.]** Ddraig growled. **[Try and hold on, I'm sure I still have enough power in me to create a new heart for you.]**

A heart was basically a pump, Issei thought, it takes in deoxygenated blood, passes it through the lungs, and then pushes it out to the entire body. A gross oversimplification, but that was the gist of it.

He could make something like that.

It was his own body, and if he could influence the world around him...why not the system inside his own body.

He forced his magic inside of him, felt his own organs, his own blood vessels, his muscles through the 'fingers' of his magic, and felt the place where his heart used to be that was now nothing more than a crushed lump of muscle, completely useless now. Still, it was there, and it didn't look like it was safe to remove, and now that his vision was starting to black out, he didn't have any more time.

So he forced it to start again, the organ pulsing slowly, irregularly, but it was still moving and that was what mattered. It wasn't quite a minute yet, but a few seconds of being technically dead was still enough to do some slight damage. Still, he thought, vision beginning to clear up again, he was keeping himself alive at least, literally so, and that was always good.

He wiped the blood and drool of from his chin, pushing himself up before realizing that his crutch was nowhere near him. He sighed and made to craft the circle underneath his crippled leg when a thought came into him.

He was pumping his own blood throughout his body. If he could do that...then what's stopping him from forcing his own leg to move?

He remembered what his doctor said, that a cracked vertebrae in his spine had a damaged nerve in it, the one that ordered the parts of the body to move when his brain told it to move, and that was the cause of his leg being unable to respond properly.

Well...now, it was simply a matter of using magic to use his limbs perfectly right?

 **[Boost!]**

Issei let out a whoop of pure delight as he used his magic to move his leg and it responded normally, perfectly even, a sensation that was at once so familiar and yet so alien to him now.

He smirked and crouched low on the ground, eyes aimed at the back of Chazakiel who was approaching a battle-ready Xenovia, somehow joining the battle without Issei noticing her. Irina was by her side too, Asia healing an injured Kiba and Diodora defended between the two of them.

What did that Roshan figure do? Using his own magic not just to reinforce himself but as an actual, almost physical coating around his body? Whatever it is, it was effective, and Issei hoped that Roshan didn't mind him borrowing his idea.

The ground underneath him cratered, and Issei could see almost perfectly how he approached the ten-winged Fallen Angel, and Issei had to wonder. 'Was this what anime characters feel whenever they say that time's stopping for them?'

Issei grabbed onto the back of Chazakiel's head and slammed him into the ground. Hard. Knowing just how durable he was, he used his current connection with Kuoh's leyline, geocentric magic collapsing gravity underneath the two of them, Issei letting it 'pass' through him like a gentle stream but allowing the full brunt of it to crash onto Chazakiel like a raging torrent.

Chazakiel roared, the act more than just a sound, more magic than soundwaves, and threw Issei off of him, catching him around the midsection with his shin just as he was in the air. The barrier around him absorbing most of the force- his reinforcement making sure that he felt nothing more than a regular kick that, while painful, was still bearable- Issei caught onto the limb with both hands, and with a grunt of effort, swung it around the air over his shoulders, creating a smaller crater around the already ruined ground as a result of Chazakiel's face being burrowed into it, landing on top of Chazakiel's back. With only an instant's opportunity, he slammed several high-level runes each linked to each other, each of them supporting the strength of the whole chain, onto Chazakiel's four limbs.

Chazakiel used his wings, his wings, as a weapon, the edge of two of them slicing through the shield and slicing Issei's cheek and the flesh near his eyebrow, another three taking only a glancing blow as it struck at an undesirable angle. One however, dug deeply into his shoulders, and when it withdrew, it left a single, black feather onto it.

Chazakiel began to flex his whole body, and through a combination of brute strength and magic, began to make the bindings tatter. Issei nearly stumbled and took ahold of his wings to keep steady, noticing that the pinions actually cut his right palm open, the Boosted Gear protecting his left from the same.

 **[Do it!]** Ddraig inside him roared, and a primal anger that he was acutely aware as not being his own suddenly filled Issei's thoughts. **[Tear his wings out! Show him why Dragons are to be feared! Remind the world of our strength!]**

Issei followed Ddraig's words. He took ahold of two roots near the small of Chazakiel's back, and began to pull.

The Fallen Angel seemed to realize what he was trying to do and began to thrash about, trying to throw off the teen nearly more than whole foot smaller than him from his back. Blood pooled around Issei's eyes and cheek, feeling the hot liquid cover the right side of his face. His shoulder hurt like a bitch, and it didn't help that, with every movement, the feather's serrated edges ground against the skin surrounding it.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei roared, magical energy pooling around his fingers, and his gauntlets sharp fingers dig deep into the skin, enough that he felt nearly half the length of his fingers be covered in warm flesh and the pulsing of blood.

Chazakiel responded in kind, suddenly snapping free of the runes, an enraged yell erupting from his throat, demanding to be heard by all.

Issei tore two of his wings out, putting his feet on his back and kicking off him, hands still clutching the bloodied appendages, landing besides a thoroughly nonplussed and disgusted looking trio.

Chazakiel tried to take to the skies, but he was only in the air for a few seconds before crash landing awkwardly.

"Irina, Xenovia, go and help Diodora out." He said, feeling more calm than he had any right to be, but what was there to worry about? In the end, every one here was nothing more than numbers, and he was the one who could control them all. "I'm taking on Chazakiel."

"W-what?" Irina bit out, looking at him with a troubled expression. Issei couldn't quite read her eyes. "But, he's a ten-winged Fallen Angel!"

"Eight now." Issei held his arms out, and as if to prove his point, the wings in his hands suddenly began to burn with a fire that wasn't from earth, more light than heat, it glowed an emberous red before fading away into ashes.

Even as the wings burned from existence, the fire still remained, red eyes of pure anger focused onto him, intense enough to kill.

"You." Chazakiel breathed out, voice guttural. "Have caused me far more problems than a human has a right to." He took a slow, unsteady step towards Issei, and he noticed that the blood that trailed behind the Fallen was smoking. His magic began to spike, gradually at first, before it grew exponentially, and the mere presence of it was enough to crumble the nearby buildings, actually collapsed one of them in on itself. "You tore off my wings...I did not even know how you, a mere human, did what most other mystical beings could not. This is the greatest offense done to me in my entire existence, and this, more than anything you have ever done, warrants an act of vengeance."

Issei simply shifted his body, still feeling unusually calm. He realized that something was happening to him, he just didn't know quite what it is.

 **[Boost!]**

A telekinetic strike slammed into Issei who simply crossed his arms, letting it break against and past his barrier. He condensed the energy that made up the shield and launched the invisible spear towards Chazakiel who smacked it with the back of his fist, shattering it with an audible screech.

Chazakiel snatched at his tie, running his magic through it and forming a blade of light with it acting as the medium, and spread his wings, flying towards Issei, his chest almost touching the ground, sword raised to run him through.

Issei widened his stance, and a moment before impact, crouched low, hands slamming against the earth, and instead of creating spikes to try and hit Chazakiel, he raised himself up using a pillar to the heavens.

Chazakiel roared, grabbing his sword with two hands, spinning around to stop himself from crashing into the edifice, and swinging it in a brutal horizontal slash, cutting clean through the thick column that housed Issei at its top.

He wasn't even fazed, realizing just how strong a Fallen Angel could be, especially one with ten wings (though eight now), and grabbed onto the rockface.

Issei growled, hands pulsing, and spun over his head, throwing the veritable mountain at Chazakiel. He flapped his wings once, crimson staining the darkness, and punched through it all, halting all of its momentum in a huge 'fuck you' to physics. He slammed another hand besides the other, and split it in half, and Issei only had a moment to realize what he was doing before he used the very earth as gauntlets, slamming the huge 'gloves' into him.

All that mass and speed, that momentum, transferred into a force that would have destroyed a normal building. Upon contact with his barrier however, a part of its length crumbled, and the other remaining part made its way towards Issei with a speed that did not befit its size, Issei dodging it nimbly.

Chazakiel roared, flying up and hammering the remaining half of the pillar on top of Issei, digging deep into the ground. Unsatisfied, the Fallen continued hammering onto him, each hit deepening the crater that formed.

Issei scowled and took ahold of the pillar, readying himself to use it to his own advantage.

All it did was make sure he stuck to it when Chazakiel lifted it and rammed it back down.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei clenched his fists and ran telekinetic force through the earth, destroying the damned pillar. Chazakiel was suddenly in front of him, clutching at his face, sword raised to pierce him right in his eye. Issei tried to raise his arms to catch his wrist, but Chazakiel's wings struck him in the back of his right palm, not deep enough to go all the way through, but enough that it immobilized him for a second.

Without any limbs to move, Issei decided to create new ones. While creating wings of fire like Riser was doing was well and good, he was named after the Phoenix- and he guessed that it wasn't just for show- it still wasted more energy than he was comfortable doing.

So he took what was available, and gathered the dust and ashes around him, pulverizing nearby rocks when he was still short of the material. The wings of soot formed at his back, just above his shoulder blades, and crossed itself in front of Issei's face, fully dense enough with both magic and matter to be able to defend its owner from harm.

Issei yelled out as the wings in his hand twisted deeper, and he used the Boosted Gear to crush his hands around the appendage, his own clawed fingers stabbing into it.

He saw Chazakiel swear out, forcing the blade deeper into his own impromptu wings, and it began to sink.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei's power doubled, but it still wasn't enough. Before he even noticed it, Chazakiel had forced the two onto the ground, Issei down on one knee, and even magic could do nothing as pure brute force and leverage gave Chazakiel the advantage, raising his blade further up to try and stab down onto Issei's right eye.

He crushed the wing even further, and he felt things, bone and cartilage, give way. Chazakiel merely gritted his teeth and increased his efforts, hands shaking but ultimately parting the damn soot nearly halfway already.

"I. AM. CHAZAKIEL." He snarled, and Issei could see the blade begin to pierce through from the bottom of his wing. He tried to increase the pressure on his hold of the wing, but the position his body was in simply didn't allow for that. "And I will not be shamed by a brat like you!"

 **[Boost!]**

Issei dumped everything he had inside of him into his wings, but even then it was too late. The blade pierced through the dust and magic making it up, past his Boosted Gear when he threw it up in instinct, and stabbed into his eye.

It didn't go all the way through, the sudden hardening of his wing stopping it from going any further, but the damage was done.

It was agony in its purest form, the most painful thing Issei has ever experienced in his entire lifetime.

Even basically dying was less painful than this.

He screamed out, screamed until his voice was hoarse, and he ripped a chunk of the crow's wings with his own, he felt it as the wings behind him began to fluctuate wildly, trying to hit Chazakiel in revenge, shooting out several magic circles around him in a futile attempt to hit the Fallen Angel.

"Issei-san!" It was definitely Asia who called out, and even past the haze that occupied his mind, past the pain occupying his whole being, he tried to form a barrier between the bastard and the blonde maiden.

It didn't work, didn't even last a second, Chazakiel just walking into it like it was glass. Xenovia stood in front of Asia, pushing Asia behind her, a blue and gold sword - where was Excalibur Destruction?- in her hands.

He didn't even take a second glance at the bluenette, batting her blade away with a contemptuous swing of his own, the blade flying off to the sky, and slammed the back of his palm across her face.

And suddenly, he found his head cradled in someone's lap, a hand wiping away at the blood on the right side of his face.

"Issei-san." Another blonde said, was it Asia? No, her hair was in ringlets, like a princess would have in those anime and VNs. She was the Phenex girl, Ri- Ravel. That was it. Ravel. "This is tears of the Phenex. A few drops of it will-"

"I THINK NOT." Chazakiel threw Xenovia's sword at the two of them, and Ravel froze dead, staring at the incoming projectile.

 **[Boost!]**

Without any time to think, without even knowing what he was doing, moving past the pain he was in, Issei grabbed onto Ravel's waist, wings forming behind him once again as well as enhancing his body, forming a protective barrier around it, and creating half a dozen defensive circles behind himself, and pushed the blonde devil down onto the ground so that his body covered her.

She was surprisingly small, fragile, delicate looking. It felt nice to have her in his arms. Then again, it was always nice to hug a bishoujo wasn't it?

The missile crashed onto his body mercilessly, and while his enchantments reduced the damage it did, he knew full well that the wound was more than enough to kill him.

Hell, his magic was weakening enough that his crushed heart was beginning to stop beating again, maybe for good this time.

"Issei-san!" He heard someone yell out vaguely, and felt a few drops of liquid touch his skin. Oh, that felt good, he almost felt like he was going to get bette-

"How are you still alive?!" Chazakiel yelled out, and Issei blearily realized that two thick hands the size of tree trunks were curled around his throat. He instinctively raised all defenses against the squeezing his throat was going through. "Any normal human would be dead by now, but you just keep on scurrying, like a cockroach!"

"Get off him!" Ravel- her name was Ravel right? - wrapped her arms around Chazakiel's own, but they didn't even budge. Flames burst out from her form, but Chazakiel didn't even notice it, locked onto Issei's single visible eye. In fact, all it did was make the smoke coming from the burning grass underneath them sting Issei's vision. Well, she was pretty cute anyway so Issei appreciated the effort.

Wasn't there any way to take in oxygen through magic? Dammit, but Sona and even Ajuka and Asama never prepared him for something like this.

Ah, Asama. What would happen to her if he died? She'd probably be lonely without him... He was going to miss her too. Their tea time and jokes, and just why was she so obsessed with tea? He wanted to teach her all about the internet. And damn but he had to tell her that hating Yasaka like that wasn't healthy. She should meet Kunou sometime later since she was cute.

Would there even be a later for him?

Issei wished that Kiba would still hang out with Matsuda and Motohama. He knew that, though they'd never admit it, the two actually liked the blond. And the jealous glares from the girls didn't hurt. Heh, served them right for calling them perverts.

He wasn't a pervert dammit... though looking on it now, Issei wished that he took up even just one of the offers to peep on the changing room with Matsuda and Motohama. He had magic now after all, and it wouldn't be all that hard to design for that kind of thing. In fact, he could design one right no-

Issei took a deep shuddering gasp, saliva and blood running down his chin as Chazakiel squeezed harder, and why was he even alive? He knew full well that his enhancing of his body and the barrier around it wouldn't last against Chazakiel's full strength, so why-

"That's enough Chazakiel."

Issei found himself on all fours, spitting and choking for his breath. He felt Ravel's arms curl around him, and the heat from her wings felt warm, made him feel safe. A green glow covered his vision, and Asia entered his line of sight, tattered looking, pale-faced and grimy, but with a face of determination.

He groaned, relief filling his body, and he actually began to feel his right hand again. That was nice. He would have cried if he lost that part of his body. Though he supposed that he could learn with his left...never mind, doing it knowing that Ddraig was in there disturbed him. He felt himself be hugged closer to Ravel's chest -wow, she was bigger than he expected, good for her- and he almost fell asleep right then and there. Still, he fought against the urge to close his eyes, each blink somehow making his eyelids heavier and heavier, and looked on what was happening.

Sirzechs Lucifer himself stood in the middle of the battlefield, and the Fallen Angels looked ready to piss their pants. They better, Issei thought, watching as the numbers that destroyed matter itself was going haywire, barely even being suppressed by his form. There was another guy beside him too, looking like a NEET, with dyed hair, a chuuni looking leather jacket and damn, twelve crow's wings.

Issei blinked slowly. Was that Roshan and...the other guy dead? There was a hole where their chest was. Sirzechs deserved his title damn. Riser looked like he was having trouble with the one too. Where was the fried chicken bastard anyway.

"Anyone here who will not give up right now...will die." The chuuni guy announced calmly, hands in his pockets, a startling image juxtaposed against the suddenly not-so-confident host of angels around the two leaders. "I will give you all to the count of five." He held up an open palm. "One." He closed a single finger.

"For Kokab-"

He never got to finish what he was going to say on account of a spear of light suddenly finding lodging in his throat. Everyone else seemed to lose the spirit to fight, uncertainty full in their body language.

"I am not fucking around right now." He said, still sounding absolutely relaxed, but somehow striking fear into everyone in the school grounds, even Issei. "Two."

The angels began to mutter to each other, and some even straight up walked out with their arms over their heads towards their leader, and there was just no way he wasn't their leader. "Three."

Even more began to give up, but there were a few who still stood, but even they looked like they were wavering.

"Four." Only a few left this time, enough to be counted on two hands.

"Five." By the time his hands turned into a closed fist, no one stood against him. "Perfect." He said as if satisfied. "Baraquiel, take them to our prison. I want their names on a list by the time I get back, I want to know where the hell Kokabiel is hiding. "

"Of course Azazel-sama." He bowed low, looking over at the devils before leading the men somewhere.

Azazel sighed, taking out a syringe from his pocket and kneeling down to stick it onto Chazakiel's blood-covered wrist. "Shemhazai, take Chazakiel and make sure he lives. Dammit, but there are only a few of us Watchers left, we can't afford to lose anyone."

"This is going to need serious reparations Azazel." The guy he ordered sighed. "The devils alone…" He took a glance at the High-Class devils gathered. "This is a massive, political clusterfuck."

"I know." Azazel rubbed at his forehead. "Sirzechs, how do you think your kind's going to react to this?"

"This is just going to worsen my hold on them." Sirzechs grimaced. "The Old Satan Faction has always been looking for any signs of weakness from me, and even some of my allies are leery about Grayfia. Something as big as this? I'm going to be beset on both sides Azazel. We can't afford a war, civil or otherwise."

"Then what about a lasting peace?" Azazel immediately caught onto the implication. "The ceasefire has been going on for a while, and us of the Grigori can't fight another war as well, nevermind the fact that my own brother betrayed me. He even managed to rope in Chazakiel into this." He sighed, running a hand down his face. "Where did I go wrong with this?

"You can't afford those thoughts." Sirzechs laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to talk the pillar houses into believing that peace between us, all three of us, is for the best."

"You already have a pretty good foundation to stand on." Azazel smiled sardonically. "Five High-Class Devils and their peerages, as well as three members of the Church wielding the Excaliburs and Durandal, all fighting here to save a town of humans. It would make for an excellent story. Hell, if my eyes aren't deceiving me, then that kid right there is using a sword made out of darkness and light element. The science guys will have a field day if they saw that."

"You seem to be on the losing end of that deal." Sirzechs pointed out. "After all, you have no representative of your own in this battle."

"I know." He grimaced. "but what can I do? We Fallen Angels are pretty much the villains in this incident."

"No," Sirzechs said. "You can still spin this to your advantage...after all, what better scapegoat than a deranged maniac off to restart the war to his own advantage? And what better hero than the peaceful leader of the underdogs, the lazy but brilliant inventor who dislikes fighting, fighting because he had no more choice, saving the defenders and successfully ensuring their victory?"

"Now that is a plan I can get behind." Azazel sighed in relief. "Thank you for this Sirzechs, truly."

"This is as much for my sake as yours." Sirzechs murmured. "Now only to get Michael behind this idea."

"He will." Azazel immediately assured. "He wants peace more than the two of us believe me. Still," he said, looking around. "Chazakiel is one of our oldest and most powerful members, and no offense, but none of your devils here could stand up to him for more than a second if he was serious, and I doubt that anyone here could have forced him to go all out like that. Who was responsible for that?"

Sirzechs hummed, turning a critical eye on the lone human magician in the place, unconscious on the lap of the only daughter of the Phenex, being tended to by the nun with Twilight Healing, Rias' knight standing tensely on guard over him. "I wonder…" He shook his head. "That could come later. Right now, we have to deal with the humans in this town, as well as repair everything here."

Azazel sighed. "I'll get my men right on it." He was responsible for this, even if only technically, and lazy or not, he knew when to do his responsibilities. Still, he thought, remembering the bloodied hole in Chazakiel's back, did that kid actually reach into the metaphysical plane where their wings were? The wings of an angel, fallen or otherwise, was more than just a physical thing, it was an act of Creation itself, embedded into their very being. For a human to be able to do something like that…

Well, that was just interesting wasn't it?

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Okay, first off, sorry for the kinda long break between updates, but in my defense, my schedule this sem is kinda screwing me up, what with having to go to class from 11 up till 7 pm, so I kinda wrote most of this chapter on my notebook and then type it onto my PC. Plus, I have math everyday, so that's kinda a priority. I have to pass that course, especially considering its 6 units, so I take it everyday too, unlike my others which is just either MWF or TTh. I am now a math nerd basically.**

 **Okay, while all that's true, I also had Monster Hunter 4U to distract me and I just sped through it. G3 in a few weeks.**

 **Also, the biggest reason it's so late. This chapter is literally double the length of my usual ones. Seriously, Chapter 11 was the longest one I've written up to now, and it sat at 25 pages, 10k words without author's notes and the Omake. This one is 51 pages with 20k words. Please don't expect this kind of thing to happen regularly. Hell, I've been thinking of just splitting it up but then realized it simply won't fit the style of the chapter.**

 **As some of you may or may not have noticed, the fight scenes in this chapter was inspired in part by Mob Psycho 100- seriously good anime by the way, don't let the art style fool you - To Aru Majutsu no Index (of course) and some One Punch Man. Also Dresden Files in some parts. MP100 has a pretty good way of depicting espers, specifically, integrating their abilities to melee fighting, as opposed to just standing in one place and raining spells around. Kinda like Dresden now that I think about it.**

 **And just to clarify, the entire scene in Kuoh Academy didn't take an hour. I mean, I like DxD and all, I'm writing a fanfic about it, but I simply refuse to use immensely one-dimensional characters like how Kokabiel and Diodora acted in canon. A one-off villain, a plot point more than an actual character. And they're so stereotypical too, not to mention just plain stupid. Kokabiel should be more pragmatic, you can't live for millennia by letting your enemies take the time to take care of the mooks while he just sits there while waiting for the shounen powerups, no, I respect him enough to give him an actual character definition; namely, the chessmaster that he is, orchestrating a three way war between Angels, Devils and his own kind without even batting an eye, without his own superior noticing anything overt because if Azazel did notice, you'd be sure that he'd stop it if only because having a war in his hands would be a bother to his SG hobbies. That's how he should act, not a lulz waggghhhhh type of character.**

 **And if you're going to call their appearances as a deus ex machina...Sirzechs and Azazel are leaders of an entire society for God's sake, and though we see them in the eyes of a 'close friend' through Issei, they still have to show responsibility. Sirzechs for example. He's a gigantic siscon, so just hearing about Kokabiel, a being so far above Rias in Volume 3 that it's not even funny, would be enough for him to drop everything and protect his little sister, owner of the land or not. Besides, canon had Vali curbstomp Kokabiel, curving the power levels of DxD to an insane degree. That's not really any better.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated, specially for the fight scenes which, I always say, will never be my strongest point. I also admit, the first part of this chapter was kinda weak, but I hope that the latter made up for it.**

 **P.S. Sorry, but no omake this time.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

* * *

Issei woke up to a familiar ceiling, his body aching like hell, his right eye still pulsing in pain, and the right side of his body frightfully numb, something he hadn't felt in quite a while.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Issei-kun." Asama's voice greeted him, gentle and soothing, a cool hand pressing against his forehead. "You gave all of us quite a scare. It's been a whole day since you've fainted, the devils told me."

"I didn't faint, I passed out." Issei insisted, voice a bit hoarse. "You have any water?" He coughed out, sitting up with a grimace.

"Of course." Asama gestured from behind her, and the doors of the shrine slid open, a tray containing a single cup floating in the air, lazily making its way towards them. She took the cup, raising it to Issei's lips whose protests fell on deaf ears, Asama not relenting in her service.

"This water tastes different." Issei frowned, staring at the water inside the tea. "Is there magic in it?"

"Nature energy." Asama nodded, placing the empty cup by her side. "The well has been here well before I occupied this hill, and it's one of the more potent sources of it in this town."

"Well, whatever works." Issei muttered, raising a hand and running it down his face, stopping on the material covering his right eye. "So...is it really-" He gestured vaguely.

"Unfortunately yes." Asama sighed, getting the unsaid question. "I've heard about the battle. From what I heard, you were quite the combatant." Asama tried for a smile, but the only one she managed was strained.

Issei rubbed at his lone working eye in irritation. "I don't even remember half of what happened." He muttered irritably, still scratching at his eye. Asama leaned forward, reaching out to take his hand in hers.

"Issei-kun, please stop that."

"Asama-nee…" Issei muttered, staring down at the ground with his one lone eye. "It's unfair...isn't it? I already lost my legs...now it's my eye too? It's just...it's so unfair."

Asama pursed her lips, moving to sit besides Issei. "No, it isn't fair." She agreed quietly, softly rubbing Issei's hand. "But that's what happened. It may not be fair, it may not be what you deserve, it really isn't, but that's life. We all have to deal with it sooner or later, and now we just prepare for what's to come."

"Have you ever felt like this before Asama-nee?" Issei asked, hating himself for the way his voice cracked . "I feel...I like I'm losing myself one by one…"

"It gets better Issei-kun." Asama wrapped one arm around his shoulder. "Believe me, it gets better. Even if you feel like the world and the gods are out to get you, even if you feel like dying would be the better end, it _will_ get better. I promise you that."

"Anything's better than this." Issei spat out. "I just… Do you think there's a way for magic to repair this?" He gestured at his eye.

Asama hummed. "I believe that the archmages as well as some sorcerers could recreate body parts from pure magic alone, but it's generally too risky to do that. Your eye was ruined when you were brought here Issei-kun, as was your heart. In fact, you _would_ have died if it wasn't for you patching up your ruined heart with magic."

"I see." He muttered, tracing the middle of his chest. "I...need to get stronger don't I?"

Asama nodded. "As powerful as you can, so powerful that the mere thought of challenging you is considered foolhardy. To do that, you must become an Archmage."

Issei let his head fall back, staring up at the ceiling. "How?"

"Learn." Asama said gently. "Work with your weaknesses instead of against it. Know what it is you are bad at and try to improve that. You are a magician Issei-kun, your mind is a far more potent weapon than your body could ever be. Realize that, and you are one step closer to becoming an archmage."

"What if I can't?"

"Think like that and you already make it impossible to reach." Asama reprimanded him. "There are only a handful of archmages in the world today, only three of which are human. But you already have an edge over them." Asama lightly touched his left hand. "You are the wielder of the Boosted Gear, the Crimson Dragon Emperor of this generation. Your growth curve is far more forgiving than others who had nothing but their minds to aid them."

"So you think I could do it?" Issei asked. "I could become one of them?"

"I believe you have the ability to become one within your tenure in highschool." Asama chuckled at the look on Issei's face. "I believe you can do it Issei-kun."

"Now that you say that, I _have_ to do it." Issei let out a sigh, though unable to keep his lips from forming into a smile. "Thank you Asama-nee."

"It's my responsibility as your mentor." Asama tilted her head. "After all, I can't have you giving up just because of something like this. I still need to see what this 'internet' you tell me is all abo-" She blinked, turning to the open door and seeing none other than Kuroka walking towards them, red collar declaring her identity to Issei. "Hello Kuroneko-san." She greeted, patting her lap and holding her arms out to the cat who accepted the invitation, curling up on her lap.

"Wait, you know that cat?" Issei asked, staring at -he didn't even know if she was his pet or what- the cat he named Kuroka. "How?"

"She has been a constant visitor to this place for years now." Asama lit up, rubbing under the cat's chin.

"Wait, so she _isn't_ a catgirl!?" Issei nearly yelled out, all but glaring at the black cat.

"Of course not!" Asama looked surprised. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Bu-but, she has so much nature energy around her!" Issei argued. "So I thought that she was a shapeshifter or something."

"Well of course." Asama said in a voice that made Issei feel very stupid. "As I said, she's been a constant visitor to this shrine of mine. It's only natural that some of the energy around this place would cling to her yes?"

"But she's sentient!" Issei insisted, pulling out his last piece of evidence. "I'm sure she's sentient!" The numerous looks she's given him, too aware, too smart for a normal household animal, was enough to convince him of that.

"Of course she's sentient Issei-kun." Asama explained patiently. "Nature energy does a lot of wonderful things, and that includes giving animals and things the ability to come to life in a way that is not normally possible. Why do you think youkai such as the Abumi-guchi, and Tsukumogami exist?"

"But...but-" Issei let out, still staring at the cat that had looked up and was _smirking_ at him. How was a cat even able to smirk like that?

"Sometimes," Asama let out a little laugh, shaking her head in amusement. "there aren't any hidden meanings, anything underneath the surface Issei-kun. Sometimes, a cat is just a cat."

"Very well said Asama-san." The voice of Ajuka Beelzebub reached them from the door, and Issei turned to see that there was another person with him, the man with dyed blonde and black hair that was wearing a chuuni looking coat that showed off his chest. "Hello Issei. Glad to see that you're better now."

"Not really hard to do." Issei said dryly. " I was kinda _dead_ for a while there."

"Only mostly dead I heard." The other guy said, leaning forward and grinning at him in a way that only made Issei nervous, Asama bristling at what was undoubtedly a Fallen Angel. "My name's Azazel. I'm the boss of the guy that led the siege. I'm here to say sorry." He made to place a hand on Issei's shoulder, only to be greeted by the iron hold of Asama.

"If you do anything to Issei-kun, then you will regret it Iblis." The lavender-haired priestess growled, voice just loaded with power. "Your pride will be the end of you one day."

Azazel's eyes sharpened, his grin turning just a tad bit predatory. "Oh believe me Goddess Asama, Pride or not, I know full well on how to choose my battles."

"He's here to help Asama, believe it or not." Ajuka assured her. "No matter what his reputation says."

"Like I said, I'm here to fix your eye." Azazel told Issei despite not saying that at all, kneeling down to stare at his face. "Yeah, that's Chazakiel's work alright. Brutal as always." He shook his head. "Of course he's the type who would follow Kokabiel. Well, your eye is ruined for sure," to Issei's disgust, Azazel took out a small phial that contained a pretty squished looking eyeball within it. "though I think that was pretty obvious from the get go."

Asama snatched the container from Azazel, glaring at him. "Are you mad? Why is Issei-kun's eye with you? It should be with him at all times." She tried to push it at Issei's hands.

"No." Issei said, feeling a little bit sick at the sight. "He, he can keep it."

"I think not!" Asama hid the glass phial from Azazel as he attempted to take it back. "Thaumaturgy is a legitimate concern from beings such as this Issei-kun. Never let your guard down around him."

"Like I use that kind of outdated magic." Azazel rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Too wasteful. The current way of doing it so much better."

"And what do you mean this is a way of saying sorry?" Asama frowned severely. "This is you merely correcting a mistake, a mistake that never should have happened in your supervision Governor. Reparations must be different from a peace offering , you should know that very well by now."

"Of course of course." Azazel waved off easily. "I know how this song and dance goes Asama, I've been doing it nearly my whole life after all."

"Just to remind you Governor." Asama's smile showed that she didn't believe that for a single second. "Can't have you forgetting basic etiquette after all, even if it would make your life easier because you conveniently forgot."

"While I enjoy politicking as much as you Azazel, I wish to discuss more important matters at hand." Ajuka sighed, patting Azazel on the shoulder. "Issei, how do you feel?"

"Everything hurts, my eye's fucked up, and I have a raging headache." Issei flatly listed out. "Is there anything else that should be there?"

"Yes in fact." Ajuka told him seriously. "I inspected you after the battle, and the damage to your spine's nerves have gotten worse."

"W-what?" Issei sputtered out, turning to Asama who merely bowed her head. "W-what do you mean?"

"Even magic has to bow to the laws of the natural world sometimes Issei." Ajuka shook his head slowly. "And injuries to the spine are one of the worst to deal with, even for us devils. Magic does wonders, do not get me wrong, but healing magic isn't quite the fix-all remedy that fiction makes it out to be. Even magic is still somewhat stuck on something complicated like the nervous systems of most living beings, get rid of something like scars, or even cure the likes of cancer."

"But...couldn't Sirzechs-san do something like destroying the cancer cells?" Issei asked, to which Ajuka nodded in acknowledgement. "And what about Asia's Sacred Gear?"

"Yes he could." Ajuka tilted his head as he thought. "But would it be practical? For one of the lords of the Underworld to use his powers to destroy the cells in each person with the disease? As for the Twilight Healing, well, Sacred Gears are the physical manifestation of God's miracles yes, but Sacred Gears that are not Longinus have limits. Twilight Healing for example, requires some modicum of physiological knowledge on the user's part to be able to use it to its fullest potential, even if it does its job without it."

"Then why did my injury get worse?" Issei asked with trepidation. "I just used magic to move my leg, so shouldn't it be okay?"

"That's the thing. Magic isn't really something that's perfect. Everyone, even someone like Mephisto, does not completely understand it. There are theories about everything of course, but to this day, there are still moments where we are surprised by what happens to the world around us"

"So you're telling me that you don't know what's happening to me?" Issei asked, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"I'm not saying that it's forever." Ajuka assured him. "But as of the moment, we don't. Who knows," Ajuka smiled tightly. "maybe someone out there might be able to find a way to do it in a few year, magical or otherwise. It could even be your field of study to move up in the magical stage."

Issei blinked. "There's a magical stage?"

"Of course." Ajuka rolled his eyes. "There are three major cabals today, one in Italy, one in England, and the last is in Poland, though I doubt that you have any need to study in any of those. No, you simply write a paper as you would in university and publish it to the international magical stage and present it to a panel of at least three recognized high-class. Oh, speaking of, I fully expect you to pass one before the year ends."

"I'm still recovering." Issei said incredulously, feeling a headache begin to set in. "I know for a fact that my heart stopped. I felt it stop, and you want me to pass an exam in a few months?"

"That might actually be a good idea Issei-kun." Asama encouraged. "After all that excitement, going back to learning might be just what you need to pick yourself up."

"Give me two days." Azazel held up his fingers. "Two days and I'll be able to give you back an eye that's better than your old one. Hell, I could give you x-ray vision if you want." He grinned lecherously to show just what that x-ray vision entailed.

"Issei-kun has no need for something like that!" Asama ground out to him. "Make sure you simply do your job Governor!"

"Yeah, yeah." Azazel rolled his eyes, but when Asama turned her back to him to fill her cup with tea, he mouthed to Issei. 'Just say it and I'll do it.'

Issei pursed his lips before nodding jerkily to which Azazel gave a proud looking thumbs up. He wasn't a pervert, he just thought that he'd find that kind of feature useful sometime in the future, honest.

Though truthfully, x-ray vision, aside from the first thought that came to mind, actually could be used when he was dealing with his spinal injury. He gave the Fallen Angel an appraising look. Was that intentional? Issei really couldn't tell with him.

Azazel, upon seeing his look, gave him a satisfied smirk. "Well, that's all I came for." He said casually. "Just expect me to drop by in a couple of days."

Ajuka nodded. "Me as well. I still have a meeting with Serafall to discuss the movements of us devils in response to this event."

"Yeah." Azazel stretched out, groaning when a few bones audibly popped. "I think Chazakiel's spilled the secrets by now. Last time I saw him, he was just about ready to crack. Seriously, taking Baraquiel's lightning directly to the heart few a dozen times? He's tough as a nut that one."

For some reason, even as Azazel and Ajuka laughed at something the former said, looking so much like two coworkers leaving for lunch, those last words of him made Issei shiver. 'Non-humans.' He reminded himself, looking as they shut their doors. 'As much as they look like us, they aren't humans.' Intellectually, he knew that they weren't, that they were an entire race altogether, but seeing those little things that really hammered in those differences...that was the most eye-opening of their encounters, more than the streams of magic, more than the casual usage of their wings to fly, it was the little things that really showed the differences.

"Issei-kun, are you well enough to walk?" Asama asked in concern, Kuroka moving to sit on top of his chest.

"I guess." Issei sighed, scratching at the smirking cat. "Where is my crutch anyway?"

"It was broken." Asama said apologetically. "You really can't expect things made by mundane humans to stand up to an earnest effort by the supernatural, especially against a Fallen Angel with more than two wings. I do have something for you though." The door behind her opened once again, and a wrapped up package began to lazily make its way towards the two.

Asama gripped it with two hands, pursing her lips, before handing it to him.

Issei took the package and began to strip off the covering.

"That's a cane I fashioned from the trunk of a lightning-struck cherry tree here in this very mountain." She explained as Issei ran a hand up its length, feeling the smooth wood of the cane, a bit thicker than his old one, fondling the gentle taper of the handle, a handle that fit his hands almost perfectly. "The wood that I used for that is extraordinarily suited to channel magic. It's an excellent focus for evocation, but it can cast defensive spells almost as well."

"W-wow." Issei breathed out, reaching out with his magic deep beneath the material, feeling just how responsive it was, how it welcomed him into its being. "This...this is amazing." He shook his head in amazement. "This is the best gift someone's ever given me."

"Think of it as insurance." Asama him cheekily. "I've grown quite fond of you after all, and I can't have you dying on me."

Issei grinned, imprinting his magic deep into the identity of the shaft, the first time he's ever done the practice, though he was reasonably confident he did it right. It wasn't exactly the most difficult of tasks, but the mere fact that relatively few things could handle imprinting was enough to make the act a relatively unused one. "This...thank you Asama-nee. For everything." He bowed his head low, laying the cane at his side.

"Ufufu, it was my pleasure Issei-kun." Asama's soft hands lightly touched his cheeks. "Believe me, spending time with you was the most enjoyable experience I've had in recent years."

Issei felt a hot flush rise to his cheeks, trying to stammer out a response only for his mind to nearly shut down when Asama placed a chaste kiss on his forehead. "For luck." She said with a gentle smile. "I know that you're going to need it."

Issei didn't really know what she meant by that.

()()()()()()()()()

The week following the battle at Kuoh was kind of a weird one, mostly because he didn't bother to show up at school for the whole of it, instead mostly taking a rest at the insistence of both Sona and Rias through their familiars. There was also the fact that the air in Kuoh Town was steadily becoming denser, heavier with magic. He could almost taste it from his house.

Still, it wasn't that which he found the weirdest, Issei thought as he walked towards school for the first time in a while, making sure that it was the time when the clubs of the school were just about to leave the premises.

There were a lot of magicians in town, too much for him to just chalk it up to tourists. And what's more, all of them looked like they were looking for something, or someone, and Issei began to get a sinking feeling in his gut as he took a guess at just what the object of attention was.

Still, he wanted a more concrete confirmation, so at the end of the school day, he made his way towards the Student Council room, knocking on its front door.

"Hyoudou-kun." Sona greeted, looking a tad bit more ruffled than she usually was, glasses just a little bit askew. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon Kaichou." Issei greeted back, waving at Tsubasa, Tsubaki and the new guy Saji. "Where're the others?"

"I sent them out on some errands." Sona sighed, signing another document before putting it down to look at him. "You're already looking better, healthier. How's your eye?"

"Better now I guess." Issei titled his head to the side, reaching up to rub at the eyepatch covering his right eye, wondering just when the hell his new one was going to arrive and wasn't that a weird train of thought. "Just waiting for my new one I guess. Anyway, that's not important right now. I wanted to ask-"

"Getting a new eye isn't important?" Saji asked, blinking at him. "Are you serious?"

Issei stared at him in a deadpan. "You literally died and came back to life, and you're seriously amazed by me getting an eye back? There are people doing that right now with science."

"I-I guess it is." He muttered, looking down and grimacing. "But... it's weird isn't it?"

"Yeah it kinda is." Issei frowned. "Still, at least it's one less thing to worry about. At least I know that that kind of thing's possible. I mean, if science can do it, then I can find a way through magic right?"

"I know for a fact that Azazel of the Grigori prefers that kind of approach, Magiteck I believe the term is used to refer to that." Sona fixed him with a stare. "It's him who's giving you your eye isn't it?"

"How'd you figure it out?" Issei asked, privately impressed with how she came up with that conclusion.

"It seems the logical choice." Sona frowned. "His ingenuity isn't exactly unknown. I believe that he's regarded as one of the smartest beings currently alive. And taking care of the harmed party's injuries is one of the reparations expected to be done by the one responsible for it."

"Still, I'm kinda just hoping that someone like Ajuka-san would be there with me. I don't exactly trust Azazel all that much." Or Ajuka for that matter, but while he didn't trust him implicitly, he still trusted that keeping him alive was in the devil's best interest, though he still didn't really quite know just where that interest lied.

"A wise decision, and one that you'd best keep in mind." Sona nodded in approval, picking up another sheaf of paper. "But enough with this, what did you want to ask?"

"Oh right!" Issei nearly forgot. "What's with the number of magician's running around the town?"

"That." Sona grimaced. "That thing has been a growing headache for me this week, and I doubt that it's going to let up anytime soon." She sighed, taking a single sheet of paper from the desk and handing it to Issei.

Curious, Issei took it, looking over the page .

Greetings Devils of Kuoh Town

We would like to extend our…

Issei skipped over the flowery greetings, nearly taking up half the page, looking for the actual point of the letter.

...and as such, we would like to ask if the rumored magician so exists, and if so, would you be willing to divulge his name to us.

Signed,

Insert name here.

"Well," Issei said in mild shock, laying the letter down on the desk. "So...they're looking for me? Why me?"

"Based on your tone, I don't think you understand exactly what you just did Hyoudou-kun. You, a normal human, managed to defeat a Ten-Winged Fallen Angel."

"But I didn't defeat him!" Issei argued, reminded of the absolutely brutal beatdown he received at the hands of the Fallen Angel. "Hell, he practically killed me!"

"That's not what the rumors say." Sona sighed, rubbing her forehead. "It hasn't been a month yet, and already there are hundreds of rumors going on, some accurate, some plain incorrect, but the rumors did it's job. Everyone wants you now, whether to include you in their ranks, or to learn under you. More than a dozen letters reached us within this week alone, all of them asking us to pass along a message to the magician in question."

"L-learn under me? But I'm not even formally enrolled or anything!" Issei's jaw dropped. The people in town wanted him to teach them? He didn't know a thing about teaching!

"Again, some rumors say otherwise." Sona took another leaf from the stack next to her, standing up from her seat, going to the refrigerator in the room to grab a can of cold tea. "Some are saying that the magician, that's you, killed Chazakiel. Others say that you took the whole host on singlehandedly. Others correctly report that you are an unaffiliated magician that was learning only for a few months, others claim that you are a sorcerer risen from the grave to protect the grounds where you died, while some are even saying you're Beelzebub-sama's apprentice.

Nothing completely coherent, which is exactly why there are so many magicians here, and not all of them enter here legally, and it's not like we have the manpower to boot them all out." She sighed, dropping down on the couch, looking more stressed out than Issei's ever seen her. "The current situation is just so out of hand."

"Uh, sorry?" Issei didn't really know why he was apologizing, but it felt like it was his fault, and his mother always taught him that swallowing your pride and saying sorry was a lot easier than losing a friend.

"No, it's not your fault." Sona waved off before pausing. "I guess, technically, it is your fault, but this kind of reaction isn't under your control." She amended.

"Well, what do I do?" Issei shrugged helplessly.

"As much as possible, try to keep your head down." Tsubaki advised when he met her eyes. "They might leave after a while when nothing happens."

"Realistically, that will not happen." Sona shook her head. "Hyoudou-kun has simply attracted way too much attention with what he has done. Some might leave yes, but I doubt that the majority would do that. The offer that Hyoudou-kun brings to the table, a potential Power to stand under, is just too attractive to just ignore. Possibly even for the three major cabals. Add that to your Boosted Gear...Well, you're just a gem waiting to be picked up, at least in their eyes."

"Well…" Issei remembered Asama's words. 'Then, it would be best that you become powerful enough that everyone would think twice about challenging your might.' He really hated that Asama had to be right about everyone finding out about him. "here's to hoping I won't disappoint them then."

"You won't." Issei nearly dropped his cane, whirling around, summoning the Boosted Gear and running multiple calculations in his head, a circle forming at his fingertips, nearly actually launching it at the man casually sitting on Sona's chair, idly playing with a game console. "You know, for a High-Class devil, the defenses around your school are pretty easy to bypass. You should look into that by the way. A barrier that detects foreign magical signatures are nice and all, but you need a lot more work to make this place the respectable fortress it should be."

"A-Azazel-dono." Sona greeted, her surprise and nervousness evident. "I wasn't made aware of your visit."

"That's the point." Azazel grinned, shutting down the console and taking out a folded piece of paper from his chest pocket. "Before you say anything, yes, I do have the proper documents to enter Kuoh's premises, and from all four of the Satans as well."

Sona begrudgingly acceded, grabbing the proffered paper and making sure of his claims. "Still, I would have hoped that you would use the front door."

"I showed you a potential weakness in your defenses." Azazel said, suddenly turning serious, enough so that Sona straightened up to face the man. "This kind of thing shouldn't be taken lightly, especially in your own territory. Be glad that I showed it to you this early, so that you may be able to patch it up before anyone else takes advantage of it. Hell, you could commission the kid to do it." He gestured to Issei who bristled at the manner of being addressed. "But then again, it is me we're talking about, and I doubt that there's any defense that I couldn't penetrate with enough time." He gave Issei a cheeky little grin that he took as a personal challenge.

He'll prove the bastard wrong for the sake of proving him wrong.

"Now, as lovely a conversationalist as you are Sona-kun, my actual reason for being here." Azazel began to pull something out from his chest pocket, showing a clear container with an eyeball floating in a kind of transparent liquid. "Can't have my reputation taking a hit after all. I do pay off my debts, no matter what I look."

"Could you please keep that?" Sona asked, looking a bit sick as her eyes flickered from it to Issei. "That kind of thing is not really for this kind of place."

"Tch, spoilsport." Azazel rolled his eyes, slightly shaking the phial. "It's just an eye. Everyone has at least one of them." He suddenly frowned. "Is that discriminatory against blind beings? Anyways, if you're that iffy from seeing something like this, then you're lucky that Issei here didn't need a replacement heart or something, then that would have been interesting, especially a live one. It kinda pulses all weirdly if you look at it closely, like a-"

"Please keep it to yourself." Saji interrupted, holding his stomach with a grimace, nearly upchucking as the eye locked onto him. "I really don't need to see something like that."

To be perfectly honest, Issei was feeling a little sick himself, and from the expressions on the devils' faces, they were feeling ill at the sight too.

"Oh fine," Azazel rolled his eyes, keeping it in his chest pocket. "It's just an eye people. You can kill off stray devils but you can't stomach seeing an organ? Well, you won't have to see it for much longer. Issei, let's start the procedure."

"Like hell I'm doing it with you alone." Issei said bluntly, peering at the man in suspicion. "I want to do it in Asama-nee's shrine."

"Oooh, kinky." Azazel smirked. "Didn't realize you were into that sort of thing. Kidding." He assured Sona when she looked like she was about to retort. "Kids these days, can't even take a joke without blowing it way out of proportion. I understand though, it's wise even, to not put your trust in me just yet, though I do hope that you find it in yourselves to place some faith in me. And not just you Issei, all of you devils too." Azazel grinned cheekily.

"And just why would we do that?" Sona asked cautiously, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You are, after all, the leader of a race we have been fighting against since time immemorial."

"'Immemorial' isn't exactly appropriate. There are beings still alive that remember the start of that war you know. In fact, I could even recall the moment where it all began, starting from when Metatron did that thing where he-"

"Please get to the point." Wow, Issei could practically hear Sona's teeth grinding together. "I still have a job to do after this, so if you don't mind?"

"Nah, you're a smart girl, you could figure it out yourself." Azazel shrugged easily, avoiding the arctic glare of Sona as he slung an arm around Issei, him tensing at the motion, layering every single defense he knew of around his body, tacking on a few new ones just in case. "Oh nice, Roshan's technique. You're already showing remarkable traits that quite a few magicians would benefit from having."

In spite of himself, Issei found himself growing curious at that remark. "What is that?"

Azazel smiled. "A willingness to adapt to the most efficient way of doing things. A lot of beings, not just magicians, never really learn that lesson. Keep that in mind. That is quite possibly the best way to survive in this world, especially a person of interest such as you. Now, seeing as you somehow don't trust me to fix your eye without supervision, do you have a way to take us to Asama's shrine?"

()()()()()()()()()

Issei stared at his reflection in the mirror. Aside from the light scar crossing his eye, barely even visible really, he couldn't even tell that he had been injured.

He reached up, stopping just a hair's breadth away from the eye itself. He couldn't complain, not really. Though for some reason.

"Issei-kun, is it just fine?" Asama asked behind him anxiously, switching her gaze from him to Azazel who was sitting down casually in front of the table, chugging a cup of tea. "Tell me if you feel anything strange and I swear I will force this man to fix it."

"Oi, I did everything perfectly, even when he wasn't even conscious to know about it. Hell, if it weren't for me, the kid's eye socket would've probably rotted out a week ago, so a thank you would be appreciated."

Issei nearly choked on air at that tidbit. "What are you talking about?!"

Azazel's expression turned into one that just screamed 'oh shit' especially upon seeing the utterly murderous light in Asama's eye. "O-oh. Uh, well, you see, some fallen angels like Chazakiel and I, we kinda have a special kind of light we produce, and if you get hit by it, well… it sort of leaves a mark."

"You failed to mention this to me when it was relevant." Asama's voice was deceptively calm, though not a very convincing effort considering she was gripping her broom hard enough for it to start to splinter. "Explain. Now."

"It's not that serious." Azazel paused, looking up in thought. "Well, relatively not that serious. I mean, compared to a dead heart and a carved out eyeball, a little poisoning isn't that bad right?"

"I WAS POISONED?!" Issei seriously wanted to hit the man in front of him. "THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO KNOW A WHILE AGO!"

"I may not have told you about it, but I'm not irresponsible enough to just leave you to your own devices." Azazel sighed, laying down his cup. "The moment I saw you, I already worked on that eye socket of yours. Normally, wounds by light constructs," Azazel held out a hand, grasping the created spear of light. "they cauterize the wound. It's just heat after all. But the original Grigori however, well, we're kinda special." Even as he explained, the 'weight' of the spear seemed to just...shift, and something primal inside Issei warned him that whatever it was, it was Dangerous with a capital D. "This kind of thing burns without cauterizing the wound. There's nothing fancy about it, it simply makes sure that the wound stays open, and almost nothing can fix a wound inflicted by it, modern medicine or magic, temporal dissociation, or even Father's own toys." Azazel spread his hands, letting the weapon disappear. "And that's where metaphysics come in. I won't bore you with the details, I'll send you a PDF later if you really want it, but since I'm the best, I could fix something like that.

See?" He turned smugly at Asama. "I am responsible when the situation calls for it." The cup from the table just up and smashed into his face. "What did I do to deserve that?" Azazel seemed incredibly blase about having something smashed into his face, but seeing who he is, it probably happened on a regular basis.

"I just felt like it." Asama hummed, sitting down with Issei at the table, Issei still stroking the edge of his scar.

"Funny, Shemhazai sometimes says the same thing." Azazel idly played with the broken shards, taking out a spool of gold from his pocket. "This practice is called kintsuki right? Okita was telling me about it, but I never really saw the appeal."

"It's kintsugi." Asama corrected, taking the broken remains and the gold from his hands who just shrugged at his things being snatched away from him. "And you're doing it incorrectly."

"I don't exactly think there's a wrong way of doing it." Azazel muttered to Issei. "Oh and the x-ray function works by running a single pulse of magic through it. Just a type of magical on-off switch. There's three settings though, one's for normal mode, the other two are the x-ray vision modes. You know what to do." Azazel gave him a thumbs up, and for once, Issei felt a kind of kinship with the man. He still wanted to beat the fallen angel up, but it was now tinted with a grudging respect and admiration for the revolutionary invention.

Heh, Motohama and Matsuda could suck it. Not like he'd use it of course. That would just be wrong.

"As entertaining as it is to see you corrupt Issei-kun like that," Asama glared at Azazel to show that she heard what he was telling him, and that she was not looking amused. "I would appreciate it if you would stop. And Issei-kun...please don't abuse it." She sighed, and Issei wondered if he should feel offended at her insinuation that he couldn't stop himself from using it. Sure he was going to use it, but that was scientific curiosity more than anything else. And if he just so happened to find other uses for it, well those were just added benefits.

"I won't." Issei swore, still touching the edge of his new eye. It still felt weird to him even though it was almost exactly like his own.

"Stop poking at it Issei-kun." Asama chastised, lightly slapping his arm. "As loathe as I am to admit, Azazel's genius is quite well known to the world. You have no need to worry about that."

"Speaking of genius," Azazel said in the most modest voice Issei's ever heard in his life. "that focus of yours is a work of art. Handcrafted?" He asked Asama.

"From the wood of a thousand year-old tree in this mountain." She nodded, looking proud of that particular fact.

Azazel gave a low whistle. "Now that's a serious toy you got there. Still, it looks pretty bare. You plan on carving some runes onto that?"

Issei's eyes furrowed, picking up the cane and turning it over his hands. "What do you think I should put in this?"

"For focuses, you usually either put in runes or magic circles that you regularly use." Azazel explained. "Channelling spells through a focus gives a higher magical output for the same input."

"What do you put in yours?" Issei asked, looking for an example he could possibly emulate.

"I don't have one." He chuckled at the look on Issei's face. "Let me rephrase that. I have some foci, but I prefer not to use them. Past a certain point it becomes less of a tool and more of a crutch." Azazel looked inordinately pleased with himself. Issei and Asama were not amused. "Joke's aside, a blasting rod is the only one I really keep with me these days." He brought out a small, thick looking club half the length of Issei's arm. "Made from a shriveled up fig tree. This one's been me for a long time now. Pretty good club too when all else fails. Still, going back to your question, put whatever you want. It's yours anyway."

"There's only a limited amount of space in here." Issei frowned. "I don't think everything would fit. Some magic circles-"

"You're thinking about it wrong." Azazel shook his head. "Before putting those fancy spells and circles on it, think about the focus itself. Whatever you put in it would be useless if it just ends up destroyed in the middle of a fight. I've seen hundreds of wizards swagger onto the battlefield with their staves and wands and die before they even manage to chant their spell of craft a circle, and hundreds more who died because their tools end up giving on them at a critical time. No, the priority when making things such as these is defense before anything else. Runes to strengthen the body of your cane, resistances to magical disruptions should go first if you want to actually live through the fight."

"You're surprisingly helpful." Asama said suspiciously.

"Why is that so much of a surprise to you?" He asked, exasperated. "Is it really that hard to believe that I'm genuinely helping someone?"

"You aren't doing this out of nothing but the goodness in your heart I'm sure." Asama pointed out. "You must have another reason for doing something like this, even if it's just personal investment."

"Fine." Azazel rolled his eyes. "Ajuka told me all about Issei so I wanted to see how smart he is for myself, maybe even get him to help on some of my projects. Father knows that most of my men can't tell the difference between a runic triskaidecagon and an enneagram-based circle."

To be perfectly fair to them, Issei thought, he didn't know what the hell those words meant too. He could probably understand what those are if he was faced with it, but words alone weren't really enough to explain it to him.

"So there you have it Asama." Azazel beamed at the twitching shrine maiden. "My evil plan laid bare: to have someone to actually talk to about work. Ingenious is it not?"

"I...unfortunately, I cannot exactly condone you, a person who undoubtedly has no friends to talk to, for trying to find a person willing to put up with you."

"You just said something really outrageous you know?"

"But if you really are going to be with Issei-kun, then I must warn you to not put him into harm's way or you _will_ make me angry."

 **[Don't you think you're coddling him a bit too much?]**

Issei started as the Boosted Gear formed on his left hand, the green gem glowing faintly. **[We are _dragons_ goddess, and we welcome adversity. They are nothing but the whetstones where we sharpen our fangs and hone our claws. Even my partner, crippled as he is, recognizes how to take out his weaknesses, but that is nothing without the opportunity to test our mettle against others.]**

"Oh hoh? That's quite a claim to make Ddraig." Azazel rose an eyebrow, but Issei could see the excitement in his expression. "After all, pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. You should know that better than most anyone, and it wouldn't do for Issei here to get killed because he took on someone he couldn't handle."

 **[Believe me, that is a lesson I have been drilling into all of my hosts.]** Ddraig said in a voice that was not quite a growl. **[You would not believe how idiotic most of them are. Not an insignificant amount fell to your men's blades Azazel the Scapegoat. That man of yours, Roshan, killed quite a few in his time.]**

Azazel frowned, taking a sip of his now-cold tea. "Well rest assured, we're making sure that civilian casualties in our war would be lessened."

"And how would you go on about doing that?" Asama's lips thinned. "Even though there is a ceasefire between your factions, it doesn't really stop the skirmishes going on in this-"

"We're making peace." Azazel shrugged. "We've all been thinking it for a while now, but this incident really drilled it in. Of course," He smiled sardonically. "we're not expecting everyone to be on board with this idea, a few rebellions here and there, but what can you do. Peace comes with it a few necessary sacrifices after all. Oh, and yeah, before I forget, you're kinda invited too."

"What." Issei said flatly. "Why exactly?"

"Something something about you being instrumental in defending the peace of this town. The why's not important. Point is, you're expected to be there."

"That would paint an even bigger target on Issei-kun!" Asama glared at the Fallen Angel. "Issei-kun, I must advise against this!"

The student in question blew air out of his cheeks, idly toying with his cane. "What would happen if I refuse?"

Azazel shrugged. "You miss quite possibly the single biggest supernatural event in a few hundred years. It's honestly not a big deal. It'll be boring as hell probably. Vali'd probably get pissy if you don't show up though."

Issei turned to Asama who elegantly shrugged her shoulders. "Uh, who's Vali?"

"The White Dragon Emperor of this generation, the descendant of Lucifer himself, and the strongest wielder of the Divine Dividing in history."

()()()()()()()()()

"Is it really such a big deal for you Ddraig?" Issei asked the dragon inside him, sitting on the roof of the school building, technically breaking school rules to do so, but it helps to have connections with the school board. "The White Dragon Emperor I mean?" He lightly sketched the runic chain that would strengthen the base upon which it was placed on onto a sketchpad.

Ddraig chuckled, the sound reverberating through the inside of Issei's very soul. **[Less so than what the world says. I believe that the Goddess, Asama, has told you about us?]**

Issei nodded, before immediately feeling stupid because Ddraig couldn't exactly see it...could he? "Yeah, she told me that the hosts of you and Albion always fight to the death whenever they meet."

 **[That was the case for a few hundred years.]** Ddraig agreed. **[But recently, it's began to change. I do not even remember why we first fought, and I doubt Albion still carries the memory with him. Now, the fight is more a tradition than anything else, more of our host's decision than ours. And it only takes one to start the conflict after all.]**

"But your hosts die don't they?" Issei said quietly. "Why start the fight at all?"

 **[Because most of them are idiots.]** Ddraig snorted. **[They die because of their unending pursuit of power, and they realize too late that power comes with it a price, a price that they may not be able to pay.]**

"So you aren't going to force me to fight that Vali guy?"

 **[By all means, test your claws against him. If what the Scapegoat says is true, then it may be well worth it to fight him. But force you to? No, I do not much see the point of doing so.]**

"You're a lot calmer than what I've been told about you." Issei admitted. "I kinda thought that you'd be the type to make me fight the other guy because you hate him."

 **[Hate him?]** Ddraig snorted. **[I do not hate him. Once, I may have done so, because I can think of no other reason as to why this 'eternal rivalry' would have been conceived, but now? I see no more point in holding onto it. After being stuck in this place for an eternity, after seeing an innumerable number of my host and Albion's fight to the death, after the hundredth time the red dragon overpowers the white, after the hundredth battle where Albion's host stands over the corpse of my own, it does not feel much like a victory anymore. After all, what does victory mean to a fight that will never end?]**

"So what do you do now?" Issei asked, tracing with his fingers the rune he has been designing onto the shaft of his cane, and since it wasn't exactly wide enough, it ended up being inscribed onto the length of it. It looked like those staves in fiction, and if Issei were to say so himself, it looked pretty badass.

 **[Now? Well, I just see where life takes my current host and guide him whenever I can. You'd be surprised at how boring life can get after a few centuries if you're fixated on nothing but a single being. Simply stretching your wings out, that is a far more satisfactory way to spend time. Talking to my hosts, you'd be surprised at the insight some of them carry, enough to surprise even an old dragon such as me. Speaking of surprises, here comes the Phenex.]**

Issei, who had been aware of the approaching signature, looked up just as the door opened, revealing Riser Phenex himself. "Hey." He greeted for lack of a better thing to actually say, eyes immediately drawn to his chest, where a gruesome looking scar was proudly displayed courtesy of his half open shirt. "What happened to you?" It wasn't really the scar itself that drew his attention, but the fact that it felt like there were still some leftover magical residue on the wound itself.

"This?" He grimaced, pointing at the scar. "Got this from that fallen angel bastard. I would have died too, if it wasn't for Yubelluna and Ravel coming to save me. Really, all three of us would not have survived the battle if it wasn't for Sirzechs-sama coming in time." His face grew serious. "No, it's not fair to you if I say that. Ravel...my little sister, you protected her." It wasn't a question, it was a declaration, one that Issei could only nod slowly to. "I honestly don't know what I would have done if I lost her." He confessed, leaning his back against the wall Issei was sat against. "You're her new hero you know?" He told Issei, looking up at the sky. "Don't tell her I said this, but I think she's developed a bit of a crush on you. You should have seen her face when you were being taken away. It was like they were taking her future husband from her."

"I didn't even know why I did it." Issei muttered, trying to keep his cheeks from flushing at the analogy. "I just...I just felt like saving her is all."

"If she heard you say that, she might fall in love even further." Riser cracked a joke, something that made Issei stare. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing...Well, it's just...you're actually a pretty nice guy." Issei said awkwardly. "Cause when I met you, you were kind of an asshole."

Riser shrugged. "I won't fault you for thinking that of me. Father did say that I can get temperamental at times, but fire is in my blood. But nearly dying, nearly losing my Queen and my own little sister...that gave me some perspective I think. Not to mention this scar of mine." He lightly traced the edge of the scar peeking out of his shirt. "It still hasn't recovered all that much." He admitted. "The Fallen Angel Azazel offered to get rid of this but...I think that something like this...something like this would force me to become a better person."

Issei rose an eyebrow. How exactly would keeping a no doubt crippling injury instead of letting it actually heal do anyone any good? His skepticism must've showed because Riser went to explain. "Father went through something like this in the war as well, and he tells my brothers and I quite often that his abilities and powers evolved, so much that his healing factor increased exponentially. Leaving this on me...well, maybe something similar might happen to me. Power is what we devils live for after all."

"How's Ravel by the way?" Issei asked, trying to find another source of conversation because why exactly was Riser here again?

"She's fine." He shrugged, somehow making the motion seem elegant. "We Phenex's are known for our immortality after all. We won't lose that easily to fallen scum. But she's still a bit high strung from having to stand in as a representative of the devils in the coming peace treaty." His eyes flickered over to Issei in visible amusement. "I'm sure she'll calm down if you visit her of course, I might even leave the two of you alone to settle things between you."

"Shut up Phenex." Issei flushed red. "I'm not interested in your little sister that way."

"Why not?!" He suddenly yelled out, flames erupting from his back. "Are you saying that my little sister isn't cute?!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Issei reflexively responded in the same tone. "What the hell are you even saying!?

Riser seemed to realize what he just said and cleared his throat. "I apologize, but there's nothing wrong with my little sister."

'Definitely a siscon.' Issei thought but refused to say it outloud out of concern for his health.

"Well, I must get going." Riser pushed himself off the wall, dusting his coat off. "I still have to discuss with my father about a few things that happened this past few weeks." His eyes glanced towards Issei. "I know that you are good friends with Diodora Astaroth-"

"We aren't." Issei denied instantly. "We aren't friends. He's just someone I have to put up with." Hell, taking care of that fop should be enough for Ajuka to owe him a favor shouldn't it?"

"Well," Riser took it in stride. "that makes it less awkward for me to say that I do not exactly approve of Astaroth's presence here in this town. His reputation in the Underworld is not exactly stellar after all."

"Well he did kinda almost start a war." Issei agreed. Why exactly was he even still alive? Shouldn't he be executed or something? Ah right, brother of Ajuka Beelzebub. Hooray for special treatment.

Riser blinked. "That...is that the reason he is staying here? I was not aware of that." He murmured. "I assume you want me to keep this a secret?"

Since he didn't exactly know just what was going on in the Underworld, Issei just shrugged. "I guess? Ajuka-san didn't exactly tell me anything about this."

"I'll err on the side of caution and keep this piece of information quiet. The smart devils are the ones that don't needlessly antagonize our leaders." Riser nodded, and Issei went along with it, watching the proud devil go with powerful, purposeful steps.

He carved the final notch into the body of his new focus, and with a flare of his magic, they lit up with a crimson glow.

"Why do I get the feeling that this meeting is seriously going to be more trouble than it's worth?"

()()()()()()()()()

Issei had, in the days leading up to the meeting he had been invited to, carved several additional runes as well as a couple of magic circles at the advice of Asama who was worrying a bit too much about Issei, in his opinion.

"Be careful Issei-kun." She told him, wringing her hands restlessly. "I have a bad feeling about this meeting of theirs."

"Can't I just not go?" Issei complained. "I don't even know why I'm going."

"It's still a big event, and one that you are invited to. Not showing up is a big no in these kinds of things. It might show you as a snob, which would be enough in some cases for you to have a target painted onto you." Asama instantly backtracked, going back to lecture mode. "Not making your presence known might also show weakness, and that is something you can't afford this time Issei-kun, even if the magicians have all evacuated town."

Issei drew back in surprise. "They have?" He didn't even notice that, busy as he was with his latest assignment, namely, optimizing his focus and researching for possible paper topics.

"I suspect that it has as much to do with this meeting as it has with becoming tired of looking for you. You really do not understand the sheer scope of this meeting don't you?" Asama asked in slight amazement. "The Three Factions have not done anything this overt to each other in decades Issei-kun, and the last one nearly caused the reignition of the war. Being in the same town during a time where the leaders are talking to each other, where tensions are slowly tightening...well, it's not exactly good for most men's lifespans."

Issei glanced at the time on his phone. Forty-five minutes before the meeting. "Well, I have to go. Hope that I won't get ambushed or something." He joked, waving to Asama, passing by Kuroka on his way out.

It wasn't all that far away from Asama's shrine to Kuoh Academy, probably a quarter of an hour's walk at a brisk pace. Still, Issei liked to take it slow, preferring to give himself some leeway in terms of time.

"Why did they have to do it at night though?" Issei sighed, looking up at the moon in the sky. "Well, at least there are no classes tomorrow, so that's kinda cool."

Thirty minutes into his walk, three-fourths of the way to Kuoh Academy, Issei frowned, looking over his shoulder as the creeping feeling of being watched overtook him. He extended his senses, feeling with his magic in a circle around him, finding only a single magically able person, a few blocks behind him.

Not wanting to alert whoever it was, he created a cloak of magic around him, hardening it as much as he could and at the same time reinforcing his body with the minimum amount of energy needed to do so.

From what he felt, the figure wasn't exactly all that powerful, magically speaking, but that didn't really take into account physical prowess which, if Issei had to be honest, was really a bummer since that was where he was kinda screwed if it came down to close quarters. He reached up with his choker, casually turning it off and hiding the motion by scratching at his neck.

As he rounded the corner, he stopped moving, waiting for the figure in his senses to catch him- it picked up speed- readying the magic in his mind and in his limbs.

Now!

Issei reached out with the hand not holding his cane just at shoulder height. His hands grasped something solid, even if what he was seeing didn't tell him anything. He whirled, reinforcement helping the motion, and pushed the person against the wall, the impact suddenly making her visible.

It was a girl, probably two or three years younger than him, and currently her bright green eyes were staring up at him widely.

"Amazing!"

Issei blinked. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this: a black-haired girl wearing a white dress shirt complete with tie, black slacks, and a brown cloak over it, looking like Christmas had come early.

"I can't believe I'm actually meeting you!" She definitely looked foreign, but the translation was flawless as ever, something Issei really didn't understand. Weren't there translation errors in between languages? And what about translatable words?

He was wondering because there was no way someone would want to meet him of all people. "Uh...what?"

"You're the magician they're talking about right?" She said eagerly, jumping up and down even against his hold, causing things to rub against him.

Issei took a secret peek. Woah, those were big. And dangerous. He wasn't a was only looking because they might be hiding a weapon. Really.

"How are you so sure?" Issei coughed, looking back up to meet her eyes. Seeing how close they were made Issei conscious of how close he was holding the brunette, and he hastily let go of her, not that she noticed by the looks of it.

"I'm sure of it!" She threw her hands up excitedly. "I mean, I kinda had trouble looking for you a few weeks ago but now I'm sure of it! They were all leaving but I stayed behind so I could ask to be your apprentice!"

Well shit. "You," Issei started slowly, just to be sure of what he was going to say. "want me to teach you about magic?"

"Yes!" She saluted clumsily. "I'll be in your care master!"

"I haven't even accepted ye-"

The still night air was torn by the sound of thunder.

 **[Behind!]**

Issei didn't think twice. He immediately whirled to face his backside, crafting half a dozen defensive circles, creating a wall in front of him, each of them stacked in front of the other, the smallest just a hair taller than him and the largest being over thrice his height and width.

Whatever was flying towards him shattered all six of them in barely a second. They did its part though, and the missile was veered off course, just barely scraping his gut instead of his heart. He instantly did the calculations in his head, determining that the source of the bullet- it was a bullet right? -was most likely to be somewhere on the rooftop of the second tallest house in the neighborhood.

"What was that?" The girl behind him whimpered, clinging to his back, Issei unconsciously wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"Fuck." Issei swore. He reached out and gathered the dust and ash in the local area, pulverizing stone when he decided it was still too little for his intended purpose. Wings of dust gathered at his back, magic making them stick to each other enough for them to form the shape.

His eyes honed in on where he assumed the attacker was perched at, and commanded his wings to form a shield in front of them, managing to catch a second and third bullet, idly noting that these two were far weaker than the first, crushing them so that they joined the constructed limbs.

"How are you doing that?!" The girl in his arms said in excitement, curiosity overtaking her sense of preservation. "Could you teach me how to do that?"

Issei ignored her, a new salvo of bullets hitting his shield, and Issei had to assume that there was only one person doing the shooting.

Dammit, he didn't really have any reason to fight the damn guy, but there wasn't also any logical reason to leave an unknown shooter in town alone, able to wreak havoc. "Stay here." He ordered the girl, and sped towards the direction of the enemy.

He passed a dozen blocks in barely two seconds, landing on the roof and coming face to face with a man, expression purely impassive. He dropped the rifle he was holding, grabbing a gun from the inside of his coat, what looked like a machine gun pointed at him.

Issei frowned, letting his wings absorb the blows, the man slowly retreating backwards. He didn't seriously think that those were going to do anything did he?

The man jumped off the rooftop, running across the street. Issei tried to reach out to him, tried to pull him back with magic, but he had a surprising amount of magical resistance for a human, comparable to a high-class devil even probably.

Issei went to follow him before stopping to bend down and grabbing the gun he left, before seeing the seal slapped onto it slowly glowing from a yellow to a dangerous looking red.

"Shit!" He yelled out, immediately creating layers of circles around the damn thing before it exploded. While the circle was enough to contain the shrapnel, there was still enough concussive force that bled through, enough to make Issei feel a bit lightheaded. "This guy is a like a damn terrorist!"

No way was he allowed to roam the town, Issei realized. He was too dangerous to be allowed to do so, especially in a place full of civilians like this.

He extended his senses, locking onto the only magical signature that was running away from him. Dammit, where was everyone?! Was no one noticing what was going on!?"

He descended onto him from above, launching a lance of kinetic force onto the figure.

He dodged easily, the motion almost graceful and flung a couple of black canisters towards Issei. His eyes widened in panic, and he created another circle to contain the grenades, expending extra energy to block out the sounds so that the neighborhood wouldn't hear it.

Dammit, but dealing with this guy was getting annoying. What kind of magician, and he was a magician to be sure from the 'taste' of his magical reserves alone, uses weapons like these?

Issei flung the remains of the bomb towards him like a shotgun spread, the man creating a circle himself to defend against it.

Issei's eyes widened as he suddenly ran at him, wielding an admittedly cool looking knife, but the numbers told a pretty terrifying story. There were enough enhancements in the thing to probably kill anyone twice over.

He instinctively flooded his body with magic again, an act born out of panic, and he slammed his crutch onto the wrist holding the knife, deflecting it to a safer path than 'heading right for his face' which was literally anywhere else.

Like it was straight out of an action flick, the man dropped the knife, his other arm grabbing it from the air and slashing at Issei's gut, who just barely got out of the way. While he didn't know exactly what it did, not getting stabbed was still a pretty good way to survive a fight which was also a way of actually winning one.

He grabbed onto Issei's cane, pulling him hard with a surprising amount of strength, putting Issei right on the path of the stabbing blade.

The highschooler, body enchanced as it is, managed to grab onto the his wrist. Focused on the knife, he completely missed the head smashing into his nose.

"Fuck!" Issei swore, staggering back, swinging his cane wildly to deter the man from charging in. He caught the enchanted wood with the blade of his knife, and with his other hand, took a huge gun from the inside of his coat, pressing it against Issei's chest.

Issei immediately pushed everything he had into defending his heart, flooding his body with as much magic as he risked, his cloak thickening so much that it was almost a physical thing, multiple circles in front of the barrel and at the same time, using his free hand to punch the handgun away, ripping it off of his hands.

Unfortunately, that wasn't really what Issei should have been defending himself from. The man suddenly accelerated to speeds that was almost inhuman, drawing something from his pocket and slapping it onto Issei's wrist, while the hand that had the gun ripped from it took what looked like a needle from the inside of his coat and stabbed it onto his upper arm.

Almost immediately, Issei slammed the end of his cane onto his chest, using the circle inscribed onto its end to launch a lance of kinetic force no thicker than the width of the cane itself onto the man's chest.

He held up surprisingly well, considering that the circle gave off enough power to punch cleanly through the trunk of a tree and still burrow deep onto the wood of the one behind it.

The man's chest almost visibly sank, being launched back to the concrete wall hard enough for cracks to spread across its surface.

Issei ripped the paper off his body, and his entire body suddenly felt sluggish, weak. He tried to call for his magic, but nothing responded.

Issei panicked. For the first time in months, through some kind of bullshit means, he can't call for his magic. No reinforcements, no spells or circles, no cloak. Nothing

Issei, as he stared at the man who was slowly picking himself up from the ground, spitting and coughing out blood, felt fear, not for his enemy, but for his own magic.

He had to get away. He had to know how to get his magic back.

 **[Boost!]**

He called for Ddraig deep inside him, forgetting the Sacred Gear because of habit, of Asama's warnings to not become dependent on it.

But even the Boosted Gear couldn't do anything. His magic steadfastly refused to respond, refused to even make itself known to Issei.

Without his magic, without his spells, the circles he's so proud of, he couldn't do anything against anyone in a fight.

"Don't kill him!"

The girl from before, Issei didn't even know her name, rounded the corner, a magic circle at the front of her hands.

It launched a multitude of missiles made out of pure magic, small but densely packed. Issei would never do something like that in a real fight, too little reward for too much effort, but in this instance, it did the trick. The man took cover behind his cloak, and shot the huge revolver of his at Issei.

 **[Boost!]**

His physical abilities quadrupled, he kicked with his good leg, the place he was just laying on having a smoking, gaping hole. He tried to call for his magic again, but while it barely responded, a blip in the radar at best, it was still an immense relief to Issei.

It meant that his magic wasn't permanently gone. He kept on calling to it, it sluggishly responding but moving nonetheless.

Still, what the hell was in that needle that it actually stopped him from using any kind of spells or circles. He didn't even know that was possible.

Issei gathered magic, not enough to power a magic circle much less use a spell, but it was enough to run it through the carving onto the end of his cane.

It barely had anything to power it, but that was the thing about carving your circles into a focus. While it didn't have the sheer flexibility of spellcasting, or the ability to tweak the formulae on the fly, it couldn't just be simply erased and replaced if you found a better design, it saved a hell of a lot on energy. Pushing just enough magic into it, just enough to activate the equation, resulted in the phenomenon being enacted.

He aimed low, hitting the man's legs and sending him sprawling to the ground. He frantically gestured to the girl who saved him, hoping she got the message.

Thankfully, she didn't miss his wild flailing and ran over to him.

"Can you make a circle to teleport us to the school over there?" Issei asked, feeling his magic slowly beginning to respond normally again.

"I, I can't." She admitted, looking away. "I don't know how to make circles on my own!"

 **[Boost!]**

Issei immediately brute forced his magic, forcing it to spike and somehow breaking whatever it was that was preventing him from using it properly. He grabbed the girl around the waist, creating a transport circle underneath them and disappeared just in time to watch the bullet approaching his eye fade away to be replaced by the familiar, if bare, sights of Kuoh's hallways.

"Safe." Issei leaned against a nearby wall, heart still pounding furiously.

"Issei-kun?" Akeno's voice asked from behind them curiously. "No offense, but why does you look like you've been through a war? And who's that girl beside you? The leaders have started the meeting a few minutes ago."

"Akeno-senpai." Issei breathed out a sigh of relief. "Do, do you have some water?" Now that he was in a safer place, his throat felt like it was sandpaper.

"M-me too." The girl in his arms requested meekly.

Akeno tilted her head curiously but didn't press, instead going inside a nearby room and coming out with two bottles of water, handing it to the both of them.

"I didn't ask for your name." Issei realized, taking a good look at the girl.

Black hair that fell down to her shoulders framed a pair of intelligent, piercing grey eyes. Her pale complexion stood out in stark contrast to her brown cloak- it probably meant something, but Issei didn't know what exactly that was- which did nothing to flatter her very well proportioned body. Was it seriously a trend with the supernatural? It was criminal how beautiful all of them really were now that he was being made to notice again.

"Arianna Bianchi." She beamed, giving him another clumsy salute. "Could you please be my master?"

Issei coughed at the phrasing, wishing that she could have worded it better. Not that he was having any ideas about the girl. He wasn't a pervert.

"Uh...sure?" Issei said, not really having it in him to deny that wide-eyed look full of hope staring at him. It was actually a bit uncomfortable now that he thought about it. Besides, how hard could teaching be?

The building suddenly shook, multiple explosions going off one after the other right outside the building.

Watching as the sky suddenly shifted colors to an unearthly myriad, the very atmosphere being drowned in a collection of circles, Issei only had one thought running through his head.

 _'I knew this was going to suck.'_

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **This chapter was supposed to be longer, finishing up till the actual meeting and the subsequent invasion, but I felt that this was a good enough place to end as any and besides, if I did continue to there, then it might take another month even and I didn't want that. It was hard enough writing this one with the courses I'm currently taking, not to mention my beta reader having to go to another continent to study his master's degree.**

 **He's probably getting laid in Europe damn him.**

 **That's pretty much it (please let this sem end already)**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated.**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

Grayfia seethed, stomping through the hallways of the house, and the other maids shrunk back from her, not wanting to incur her wrath.

"Where is he?"

She didn't even need to specify who he is, one frightened maid stammering out that their guest was in her son's room.

Frost was left on the ground with each step she took, creeping up on the walls from behind her.

That Hyoudou, she put up with him because Sirzechs took a liking to the boy, and because Milicas could benefit from an older brother figure in his life, but this?

A collection of erotic magazines just strewn across his room? With a character that resembled her no less?

Oh, that human was never setting foot in this house again, Sirzechs or no Sirzechs.

"Milicas, you should always listen to your mother okay?"

The strongest maid in the Underworld stopped dead in her tracks, listening to the conversation going on behind the ajar door of her

"But why?" Milicas whined. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions right?"

"Yes, but your parents always know best, and they're always looking out for you, so the least you could do is listen to them. And do you know what mother's day is?"

"No." Milicas' voice was curious, eager even.

"It's a day to celebrate how much you love your mom. You love your mom don't you?"

"Yes!" Grayfia heard the bed creaking, probably from her son jumping on it, a bad habit of his that everyone in the household tried to break. "She's kinda scary, but I love her so much!"

"Good! I love my mom too! Don't be ashamed to say something like that because mom's are amazing. Mother's day is next week in the human world, so let's go look for something to gift her."

"Okay, I'll tell her!"

"No no, we need to keep this a secret from Grayfia-san so she'd be really surprised about it. Surprises are always good."

"If you say so Issei-nii!"

Grayfia slowly walked back, keeping her footsteps as silent as possible.

She should give this Hyoudou boy a chance. It was her duty as a Queen to forgive others after all.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

* * *

Thinking about it now, Issei wished he just stayed in bed.

Explosions went off just outside the windows of the room Issei, Arianna, and Akeno were staying at.

"Shit." Issei swore, feeling just a tad bit fed up and stressed at just _what_ was going on. Didn't he deserve a moment of peace? A week without anything happening? He should have read the fine print when he was joining this supernatural business. "What's going on?!"

"I-I have no idea." Akeno admitted, eyes narrowed at the outside, Issei just barely making out the hooded figures standing a few feet away from the perimeter of the school's barrier. "Maybe the leaders know what's happening.."

Issei scowled, reaching out with his magic, looking for Ajuka, or Azazel or whoever. The magical equivalent of a flash bomb being detonated in front of him barely even fazed Issei anymore, only making him scowl harder.

He strode towards the room where the meeting was being held, too pissed to care about Ajuka's warning about not using magic to make his leg move normally.

He slammed open the door, uncaring of what Akeno was saying behind him as she followed after him, and was first greeted with the Governor's amused smirk. Somehow, that single expression infuriated him, even more than what the hell was going on around him. "What the _hell_ is going on?" He repeated his question, scanning the room. Ajuka Beelzebub, Serafall Leviathan, Azazel, an angel with ten pure white wings on his back all seated across a table, a teen with silver hair leaning on the wall behind Azazel, and the teenage devils of Kuoh Town all seated nervously near Ajuka and Serafall.

"Issei." Azazel nodded with a small grin, nodding at the one of the only empty chairs remaining that was, Issei noticed, in the only side of the long table that was empty. Even ignorant of politics as he was, he still got the message. He was essentially a neutral party in the current meeting with no official affiliation. "We would've started, but Ajuka _insisted_ that we wait for you. And now everything's gone to hell, what with this lovely firework show right outside." He gestured emphatically at the window right when a fireball the size of a car slammed outside, being stopped cold by the barriers around the room. "Well, with the power of the barrier around us, it's not like they could get in anytime soon. Of course," He hummed. "There really isn't a way out either." He shrugged carelessly. "Ah, but what can we do?"

Issei blinked. First off, why the _hell_ would they do that? It wasn't like he was actually important to the meeting. Hell, he didn't even know why he was here in the first place. He just wanted to sleep or play some video games, not attend something that could influence the very world around them depending on what happens.

Second, he was way too young for this shit, war councils and betrayals and whatever the hell was going to happen next. Hell, he was too young to take on an apprentice now that he thought about it. Could he back out of that one? It wasn't like it was set in stone.

He sighed. He wished Asama was here with him. She could have probably made the attackers buzz off with a glare or those wintry smiles of hers.

"This is Vali," Azazel continued as if everything was perfectly fine, laying a hand on the shoulder of the only one in his side of the table. "the White Dragon Emperor of this generation. That'd make him your rival in fate. I'm sure you'd get along great!"

Vali shot Azazel a glare with no real heat in it. "I don't believe in fate," He said calmly. "only in carving your own future with your own hands."

"That'd be convincing if it was someone other than you saying that," Azazel replied cheerfully. He looked over to Issei and the young devils in the room, saying conspiratorially. "He's the descendant of Lucifer himself you see, and he's quite proud of that fact."

Issei nearly choked on air. Of _course_ it would be like that, it would just be his luck that his rival through Sacred Gear would be an absolute monster like that. It couldn't be another human or something; of _course_ it would be the descendant of the FREAKING DEVIL himself.

If Rias and Sona's reactions were anything to base it by, nearly the same as his really, then it must seriously be a big deal.

"Vali, this is Issei, the one I've been telling you about," Azazel ignored the devils, instead going right on with the introductions. "He might not be able to beat you just yet, but give him time. If you aren't careful, he'll outstrip you without you even noticing." He let out a boisterous laugh, somehow setting the room at ease with the sound.

The only other man Issei didn't know in the room coughed delicately, looking at Azazel with a meaningful gaze.

"Yeah yeah," Azazel rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. "Issei, this is Michael, the representative of Heaven."

"Hello Issei-san. I've heard a lot about you from Ajuka and Azazel here. It's a pleasure to meet you," Michael smiled, somehow making the gesture seem actually genuine. "But is this really the appropriate time to be introducing ourselves?" He inclined his head towards the outside meaningfully.

"So it's a group of uppity magicians, probably with a grudge against any one of us. Maybe it's Khaos Brigade even, but are you really-" He interrupted himself, slamming a hand on the table and flinging himself up to his full, impressive height. "Kokabiel," He breathed out. "This cannot be a coincidence." His eyes were narrowed to pinpricks, his eyes subtly glowing with an unearthly fire. "Kokabiel was never the one to do things by halves, brother is far more-"

Azazel stopped himself, turning to face the outside in pure panic. At the sides of the table, Serafall had frozen up- almost literally frozen, frost creeping into the area directly near her, and she grew so still she was like a statue made by the greek sculptors to depict a goddess- before just _transforming_ to a predatory presence, Michael's halo may have grown a tiny bit brighter, wings just a tad bit sharper. Ajuka however, simply rose an eyebrow as if finding something interesting the way a child would look at a new puzzle. Vali grew a shit-eating grin, a far cry from his impassive expression before, all but vibrating in place.

Before Issei could ask what was going on, every instinct he had screamed at him that he was in danger, a sense of nothing but pure unadulterated _power_ in the air, so foul and disgusting that it elicited a physical reaction, a cold feeling running down his spine, goosebumps forming up the length of his entire body.

It was the smell of rotting meat left out in the sun for far too long, of stale urine staining the air, the sound of blood dripping from a hanging corpse. The feeling was like the sight of a wound festering and pulsing, pus flowing out as easily and readily as blood. It was the feeling of a thousand razor blades running down your skin, shredding all sense of life with every pass _._

All that didn't quite encompass what it completely felt like for it was something that was completely and utterly primal, something beyond word, something so far before the time of language that there not might literally be any words to describe it.

But if there was, then that might be close to what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the gaze that the gigantic wolf was leveling at them.

Issei swallowed, the sound disgustingly loud to his ears.

"Fenrir," Michael whispered, looking at the beast with not a small amount of apprehension which really was more than Issei could do. All he could offer it was pants-shitting terror. "And his father as well. Why are they _here_ of all places?"

Serafall grimaced. "The relations of the Norse Faction and the devils are well known, and Loki is not exactly the staunchest supporter of the Aesir. If Kokabiel got to him…"

"Does it matter why?" Vali asked, all but vibrating in his seat, eyes locked dead on to Fenrir. "All it matters is that it is here, and that something must be done."

"As powerful as you are, I doubt that even you could defeat Fenrir alone, without the aid of Mjolnir or Gungnir." Ajuka calmly said from his seat. "That, and Loki is a sorcerer in his own right, and a powerful one at that. Even Azazel, the Grigori's finest, would not be able to win against him."

"It doesn't matter," Vali said, an almost smirk forming on his lips. "all that matters is that I get to fight."

 **{Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!}**

White aura coated his form, starting from his back where his shoulder blades were and quickly spreading over to cover his entire body to form white armor with a blue tinge to it, sharp and edged in all the right places, almost feeling like it was designed to be able to inflict as much damage, as much pain as possible. Even the 'tail' of the armor looked like a whip, sharp looking chinks forming the length of it and ending in an arrowhead.

It wasn't the physical appearance that changed the most however. Power _flooded_ the entire room, and the smell of magic and dragon came with it.

"Azazel, I'm taking Fenrir on!" He calmly reported, meeting the wolf outside and clashing with it, still glowing with his power.

 **{Divide!}**

"You idiot!" Azazel roared, another explosion tearing through the magical barriers of the school. "Ajuka, I'm sorry to ask you of this but-"

"I know." The Beelzebub nodded. "I might be the only here who is capable of taking him on and winning after all."

"Ajuka," Serafall's voice was soft, eyes filled with concern. "Please don't die. I know that you're one of the Top 10 beings in this world, but Fenrir is as well."

"Of course." Ajuka shrugged in a way that Issei couldn't help but admit was cool. "Besides, I've always wanted an opportunity to be able to one-up Sirzechs, and what better way to do it than by defeating Fenrir, the God-Eating wolf himself?" He strode towards the windows, walking calmly as if it was a stroll in a pleasant day, and he suddenly _went through_ the walls and into the open air. With a casual gesture, hundreds upon hundreds of magic circles filled the air, and a second later, Vali and Fenrir, still locked in a battle that was _not_ looking good for the former, disappeared along with Ajuka.

"He's serious about this." Serafall muttered. "I've never seen him create another dimension to fight since the war."

"Ah, if our comrades are out fighting, then I believe it is time for us to earn our keep as well." Michael announced, standing up slowly. "Rias-san, Sona-san, I am terribly sorry to ask this of you, but the situation necessitates it. Would you and your respective peerages be able to take care of the magicians out there? They may not be strong individually as Loki and Katerea are, but they still are a threat to the peace conference, and Kuoh Town at large if left to their own devices."

"Of course Michael-dono." They nodded simultaneously, looking at each other.

"Thank you." He smiled down at them gently. "If it isn't a bother, you may start to do so when Azazel, Serafall and I take on our respective opponents."

"I got the devil." Azazel said, stretching calmly, a lazy smirk in place. "It'd be fun I think. See if the self-proclaimed Leviathan is worthy of the title."

"Then we take care of Loki." Michael looked over at Serafall who nodded in response, clothes melting from the suit she was wearing to, and Issei still couldn't quite believe it, a magical girl outfit complete with a magical wand. It had a _star_ as its focus.

Issei felt quite emasculated when that wand had more magical power in one of its stars five prongs than he had in his entire body. Maybe he'd ask her how she managed to create something like that later.

"Aye aye!" She saluted. "Let's go!"

Issei stepped forward, a fire in his eyes. "What about me?" He stared hard at the Leviathan, trying to make sure his knees didn't shake, challenging her to just _try_ and tell him to stand on the sidelines. After serving Kuoh for months as a pseudo-member of the Student Council, doing nothing while it was being attacked did _not_ sit well with him.

Of course, if Serafall _did_ say no, then it wasn't like he could do anything if she seriously didn't want him on the front lines.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, the choice was taken out of their hands when, Loki, in a fit of rage, created two enormous circles to his side and two wolves came out, one gold, the other silver, none of them exuding the same malignant potency as Fenrir, but both of them still obviously dangerous as all hell.

"New plan," Michael said softly. "Sona-san, Rias-san, if it isn't much to ask, would you please assist Issei-kun here in taking Skolll and Hati? Loki is not an unformidable foe, and it would be better for Leviathan and I to take him on without the harassment of his grandchildren. I also trust in your peerage's ability to handle the magicians around the school."

Rias nodded, turning towards Kiba, Koneko and Akeno while Sona did the same to her own peerage.

Serafall flew out the room, sparkles describing the path of her flight, and a second later, Michael was following her.

Rias and Sona, paler than usual, looked to Issei while he took a deep breath, unconsciously reaching up and turning the choker back off. He stole a glance out the window to see what was going on.

Azazel was engaging a brown-skinned woman with an almost perfect body(seriously, was _everyone_ in the supernatural community ridiculously attractive?) while Serafall and Michael were taking on a tall man with long auburn hair that fell to mid-back.

Curious, he took a few seconds and let magic flow through his eyes, a technique that let him see a lot better and clearer. It was a pretty risky thing to do of course, since if he overloaded it by even a couple of units, his eyes would apparently either explode or pop out of their sockets. The book that Ajuka gave him wasn't really clear on that, it being more of a footnote than anything else. Unfortunately, his right eye switched to x-ray mode, and not knowing how to turn it off without sacrificing the enchanted sight, he closed that eye to see clearly.

The god, Loki probably, was an excellent mage, better than Issei was anyway, though that was expected given that he was, well, a god.

Magic was probably just as part of their being, came just as naturally to them as living and breathing did to human beings. Even as he watched, the god's lips twisted in an angry snarl, the horrific looking scars around his eyes rippling disgustingly at the motion.

Skoll and Hati lunged at the sides of Michael and Serafall while Loki held his arms out, circles forming in front of him, the inscriptions in it unfamiliar to Issei.

He immediately burned them into his mind, each swirl, each stroke, each unfamiliar rune being seared into his knowledge, unconsciously dissecting them, turning them all into nothing more than calculations, and a blue fire- hotter than any mortal flames- burst out of it in a pillar heading straight towards Michael.

Leviathan stood in front of him, swinging his wand, and the Ice Age was made into a reality.

Glaciers erupted from nothing, mountains of ice forming over the entire layout of Kuoh Academy's grounds, rendering it unrecognizable, a gust of subzero air redirecting the flames to a nearby ice shelf, the flame melting the surface but the wind so utterly cold that it froze before it could get anywhere, creating a hauntingly beautiful frozen tsunami.

Loki twisted his arms, and a circle appeared in front of him. Several vaguely humanoid shape made out of the same strange fire came through it, and they all charged towards Serafall.

In response, the Leviathan melted parts of her creation, water taking the shape of her namesake, and encircled her form, the fire burning through the liquid easily, but the water's current suddenly went furious, ripping apart at the constructs.

They exploded suddenly, the shockwave pushing away the water, revealing the daggers made of a different kind of steel embedded into their core, flying towards Serafall. With an almost contemptuous, bat of her wand, the moisture in the air hardened, thousands of tiny icicles, each sharp as the bite of the winter air. Dozens of them intercepted the daggers while the rest leapt towards Loki.

The god sneered, the very air around him igniting in a blue blaze, evaporating everything Serafall threw at him. The fire broke off, coalescing into a multitude of spheres, all spreading out and converging on both Serafall and Michael.

With a grimace, Serafall spread open her hands and exquisitely crafted butterflies of pure ice began to fly, intercepting each one. Frost and Flame met, and they cancelled each other out, burying the grounds with a white mist.

Arctic winds immediately howled, the mist moving as if it were alive, a carpet of white death seeking to smother its enemies in its embrace.

Loki clapped his hands, a circle burning itself into existence on the ground in front of him, a tornado of fire appearing, sucking in the cold of the air into its core before shrinking back to the ground, disappearing completely along with any trace of Serafall's magic.

It was a display of magic so awe-inspiring done so casually, with barely a flick of their hands, that Issei had to take a second to just gawk. The sheer amount of power put into those few spells were more than he could gather even with the help of the Boosted Gear.

His reserves weren't by no means small, but he was a candle next to the sun that was Loki and Serafall.

"M-Master," A small voice behind him whispered, and Issei turned, feeling guilty about the fact that he nearly forgot about the girl that he had, unwittingly, taken on as his apprentice. "What can I do to help?"

"Stay here," Issei ordered, throat dry, feeling a bit bad for the girl but being overtaken by pragmatism. What can a barely-teenage human girl who couldn't have been a hundred pounds soaking wet be able to do against three _gods._

"But I can-"

Issei didn't stay to listen, instead launching himself out, calling behind him, "Rias-senpai, Kaichou, please cover me!" He launched a blast of unseen force towards Skoll- at least, Issei assumed that the silver one was Skoll- making him stumble but not much more. Issei frowned. There was enough magic in that spell to flip a truck over, and it elicited a reaction worthy of a single slap. Enough to confuse, to disorient him probably, but not to do serious damage.

Well, what was life without a few challenges?

Hati growled, turning to him, grey smoke billowing out from his legs, covering the lower half of his form. At the side, its sibling turned towards Issei, circling him and the two devils while Hati stalked directly towards them, leaving paw prints burning with a silver fire on the ground as it walked.

Unwilling to try and fight the two in a fair match, he linked himself to the leyline running freely beneath Kuoh Academy and almost immediately, he felt something lash out against his mind, denying his magic access, and it wasn't the leyline itself.

The leyline didn't do anything that was particularly aimed against him, it simply _was_ , and if you couldn't move to match its pace, then it will swallow you whole; dangerous but never actively malignant. This reaction however, was deliberate. Something, or rather, as he quickly retracted, two somethings were fighting over control of the leyline, and as he watched Loki and Serafall duke it out, he had a clear idea of who they were.

' _No leyline this time then,'_ Issei thought, which was kinda bad news. He barely fought Roshan to a standstill when backed up by the power of the river, and Loki was possibly over ten times stronger than he was. Stupid Loki. Stupid Chazakiel. Wasn't he supposed to fight mooks and king mooks first before end-game bosses?

Still, he _did_ have a cheat weapon handy.

 **[Boost!]**

He felt his power swell, and Issei used a huge chunk of his will and power, grabbing onto a wedge of Serafall's mountains and hurling it at the nearer threat.

Issei heard Sona yell out behind him, and he whirled, slamming his foot onto the ground and creating spears of earth heading directly in the path of Skolll, hoping to impale the wolf with his spell.

The golden wolf was far more stronger than he expected, simply just tackling them, the spears' sharpened tips completely shattering upon contact, and locked onto Sona.

Rias let out a stream of pure destruction, and even Skolll recognized the danger of it, taking a single second to avoid annihilation.

Issei immediately capitalized on it, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Pillars of fire were good for general destruction, but for actually _fighting_ something that was that tough, it was horribly inefficient. It would set the enemies on fire yes, but not much else. He needed something more _solid._

A jet of white-hot fire burst from his left arm, no larger than his open hand, a fire so hot and so condensed it was almost a solid thing.

Skolll _tanked_ the blow, its golden fur actually looking brighter with each passing second. Issei snarled, pushing more magic into the stream of fire, and Skolll finally moved, sidestepping the beam, but Issei persisted, following Skolll's movements.

"Issei-kun!" Rias called out behind him, feeling magic being flung around, and Issei only had time to turn around before Hati slammed into him.

A ton or two of beast slammed into him, the fangs moving lightning quick, looking to bury themselves into Issei's throat.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei struggled wildly, arms moving up to protect his face, creating a barrier of magic around him, reinforcing his body as much as he could.

It didn't matter a single bit as a hot, sharp agony stabbed into his left arm.

He screamed, magic flowing out of him wildly as uncontrolled explosions of power. Tendrils of power, moving in accordance with his emotions, hit Hati's flank leaving bleeding furrows into its fur, but it didn't seem to care.

In fact, all it seemed to accomplish was to annoy Hati, lifting a breathless Issei up to the air, gravity forcing him downwards, his weight forcing the fang deeper into his skin, widening the bloody wound.

Issei, barely seeing anything out of the blackness that covered his vision, focused on what he _did_ have. Agony was foremost among them, but right behind was anger. Anger at being humiliated, hung in the air like a piñata, and that anger helped sharpen his mind.

 **[Boost!]**

Feeling his magic come back, he gathered almost all of it in a single place, leaving only the bare minimum for his barrier. Power, almost more than anything he had ever used in a single usage. A circle formed, sacrificing efficiency in lieu of pure, destructive power.

Hati, probably feeling the barrier recede, shook his head and slammed him against a nearby wall, pulverizing it on contact.

Issei was abruptly flung off, the pain coming back with a burning vengeance, the gaping wound on his arm pulsing hard to make itself known to Issei. He gasped, trying to stand up, but the sheer agony of having a hole in his hand made it all but impossible.

He looked up, barely making out anything, barely even coherent.

"M-Master!" A voice gasped above him, and Issei almost didn't recognize Arianna, looking quite sick as she looked at him. "W-what happened?" If Issei was in better shape, he would have taken that as his cue to say something sarcastic.

The only thing he managed to get out was a gurgling noise that sounded pathetic, even to him.

He saw Rias and Sona back-to-back, their respective peerages by their side, the former facing the golden deity while the latter glared down at the silver one.

The magicians, free from the devil's threat, had now shifted their focus onto Serafall and Michael. Individually, they were all weak, weaker than Issei's first serious attempts at spellmaking even, but they were enough to cause a distraction, and in a fight like Serafall's and Michael's, even the smallest lull in focus could end with the death of one of them.

With a deep, shuddering breath, he hauled himself upwards, heedless of the ridiculous amount of blood he lost, was still losing.

"M-Master, you're going to die," Arianna's horrified whisper reached him from a million miles away.

"No I'm not," Issei denied, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. ""You don't happen to be a healer wouldn't you?" He asked, taking a deep breath.

Arianna shook her head. "N-no...I'm sorry," She said, sounding broken.

"That would have been way too easy," Issei muttered, mocking himself for even thinking it. People like Asia, who could heal people through a combination of magic and accelerating the natural healing process of the bod-

Issei paused, glancing down at his bloodied arm, then at his leg.

Well, magic was basically recreating natural phenomena in the world through a series of calculations that would evoke said phenomena or, as Issei understood it, by exerting your will and magical energy into the very world around you, believing in something hard enough, backed by your own natural power, into creating a change in reality, bound by certain rules. Of course, past a certain point, those rules become less and less ironclad and turn more along the lines of 'guidelines' than absolute laws.

And healing isn't exactly that farfetched. It was a natural process after all, if not exactly speedy and all that efficient for a human. Cells cover the wound to prevent infection, then it inflames, fluid leaks to clean the affected area. The body begins to repair the broken vessels and torn tissues over a period of a few weeks, and some process Issei didn't know the name of fills the wound, turning it into a white scar as the edges of the wound begins to pull themselves toward each other. Depending on the size of it, the scar may either fade or not.

Issei read that, since magicians have access to magical energies, the wounds they receive heal more completely than normal people's, leaving them with the ability to grow to an age that was beyond them, as well as the ability for their body to heal themselves until, eventually, even scars fade away completely.

There was even a chance, however small it may be, that even major injuries such as a broken back may be healed without any trace of it happening.

All that knowledge didn't help Issei in the current situation in the least. But it _did_ give him an idea.

Shaking, his right arm covered the wound on his left, and he _willed_ the wound closed, pouring all his deliberation, his magic and his entire conviction into the thought. He remembered the movies and TV shows, of wounds being knit closed in order to help the natural healing process.

His left arm pulsed, and Issei suddenly _felt_ the magic take hold, felt the skin slowly ripple and then knit itself together. Feeling his skin, his muscles, and even his _bone_ , writhe in accordance to his order was one of the single most uncomfortable things he's ever experienced in his life, but it did the job.

He took his right arm off and saw skin _reaching_ towards each other. It wasn't perfect; the whole area was a scar, red and angry, but the bone was reset, the muscles intact, and the sinews and tendons in his arm all working.

He was sweating heavily, and his body was shaking. His mind was still reeling from the pain of the injury, and he could barely stand on his own. He reached out his hand, and his cane flew towards him, catching it easily.

"W-wow," Arianna breathed out, eyes the size of plates, mouth open in a perfect 'o' of surprise. "You know healing magic?"

"I guess I do," Issei muttered, and dear God but that was one of the weirdest things he's ever done to himself.

 **[Boost!]**

Still, this wasn't the time to get squeamish. He had other things to worry about.

His eyes sharpened, and he coated himself again in magic, reinforcing his body as much as he could without tearing himself from the inside out, and lunged towards the devils in a huge leap that let him cross nearly half a hundred meters in a second.

He slammed into Hati who had just about began to tense, powerful muscles rippling underneath his fur.

The being yelped in pure surprise, probably not expecting that a human less than the size of its tail had the suicidal audacity to just bull rush claws of Issei's gauntlet-clad hand slammed into Hati's foreleg, feeling his gauntlets penetrate half an inch deep into skin. Issei's eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a snarl.

Hati twisted, fangs snapping towards Issei, but a blast of pure, crimson-tipped destruction bore into Hati's neck, leaving a deep wound, a chunk of flesh ripped free from the skin. Skoll screamed, the sound releasing a shockwave so powerful that Issei actually had to command the earth underneath his feet to reach up and grab onto him before he flew away.

Gold flame erupted along the length of his left hand, so hot that it actually began to dry out the moisture in the air, bright as that magnesium flare from science class.

He plunged it straight into Hati's shoulder up to his wrist, feeling a savage satisfaction, almost pleasure at the action. Hati _howled,_ the sound one of pure agony, thrashing in anger and his reaction drove Issei vindictive. Earthen spears stabbed into his paws from underneath, wrapping around his limbs, and trying to stab onto those while others tried to go for the belly of the wolf, but while the hide was pierced easily enough, the muscle underneath felt weird, like striking metal except not really. Evolution probably, or the foresight of whatever sick fuck it was that designed something like Hati and Skoll made it so that underneath its fur was harder than probably even titanium.

But everything had a melting point, even living beings, _especially_ living beings.

He twisted his arm and pumped more magic into the flame, stoking it, and it grew _hotter,_ white hot instead of gold. It felt like holding a miniature sun, except this time, he was beginning to feel the pain.

Burning wasn't a pleasant sensation, not by any definition of the word, and even against his barriers and his enchantments, he still felt the instinct drilled into his very humanity, back when fire was just a new discovery, to flinch away from the source, except _he_ was holding onto the body of heat, and there was a large part of him that simply wanted to hold onto Hati and _burn him inside out,_ damned be the consequences.

"Issei-kun!"

Rias' voice snapped him out of it, and he ripped his arm free, shutting down the fire he held, revealing the Boosted Gear, glowing from the heat it was put through, smoke emanating from its surface, but otherwise unharmed.

A bolt of lightning, too bright to be normal came from the sky, striking Hati's body, eliciting another howl, though this one sounded more furious than pained.

 **[Boost!]**

He turned just in time to see Skoll, Hati's golden brother, barrel towards him. Knowing by now that earth-based magic wouldn't be able to do much to it, and that that much mass moving at those speeds, slower than Hati but no less deadly, hitting Issei would be less like being rammed by a truck and more along the lines of having a building dropped on top of him

He created a circle of magic underneath him, not even entertaining the thought of shielding himself against him. Instead, he lunged to the side, but Skoll followed with blistering quickness, barely even skipping a beat.

Issei twisted in midair, seeing that Hati, fucking Hati whose front leg was a blackened mess, bone showing through, was also chasing him, murder in its eyes, neck to neck with his brother even with all those injuries. The two of them were tearing at the air furiously, focused on nothing but him.

Damn supernatural constitution.

He reached out with his magic and cracked the nearest glacier to him, snapping a huge part of it and throwing it at the two wolves.

They spun around in midair, so fast that they temporarily turned into golden and silver tornadoes of devastation, cleaving through the ice cleanly, but buying him a second or two. Still, they were moving so quickly that Hati still would have reached him, giving enough of an opening for Skoll to pitch in had it not been for a tidal wave of water appearing underneath the two and hitting them, not doing much but to wet them.

Lightning struck immediately from the skies, the skies darkening momentarily to unleash its wrath.

"Hyoudou-kun!" Sona's voice reached his ears, and he turned to find Sona gesturing right behind him. He turned his head further to see that Tsubaki was standing a ways off in the general area behind him, her naginata nowhere to be seen.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei understood, or thought he understood, what Sona was asking of him.

At least, he did before a golem made of earth abruptly began to rise in front of him, raising its huge fists and slamming it back down on the earth in a devastating blow.

Skoll and Hati may have been magical beings, but they were still of flesh and blood, and that much weight falling down on them couldn't have been good for them, magic or no, enhanced defenses or no.

The giant then picked them up, one in each hand, like a child picking up its toys, and began to smash them against each other in a sight that was both comically funny and macabre.

It was so different from what he expected that Issei actually had to turn and look at Sona to see if _that_ was what she was referring to and saw that she was just as confused as him.

Still, Skoll and Hati were struggling and were successful in doing it, gouging out huge parts of dirt in the construct's body so Issei narrowed his eyes, realizing that this wasn't the time to look for an explanation and the time to just _do_. He stabbed his cane to the ground, thrusting his hands out towards Hati, the more injured of the two.

A torrent of magic flew from him, taking the form of runes onto his paws, etching themselves into his skin with a golden fire. At the same time, he ordered the earth around Hati to encase him in a cocoon of dirt. He felt Devil magic take hold, and instead of resisting it, he allowed it to strengthen the impromptu prison he had created.

Even with Hati's injuries, it wouldn't hold for more than a dozen seconds. Already he could feel the strain on the link between his mind and his constructs, but the struggles was weakened, its injuries obviously taking a toll. It was good to know that even something like that couldn't shrug off a fourth degree burn and the power of destruction carving off pieces of it and work in peak condition.

A rolling torrent of pure destruction barreled towards Skoll, almost eager in how it moved, leaving absolutely nothing in its wake, eating at everything it encountered.

The wolf snarled, and for a single second, Issei actually thought that it was suicidal enough to try and face it head on, but the moment passed, and it leaped to the side, a hair's breadth away from the wave of darkness and crimson.

Issei was there to meet it, left fist glowing with barely restrained power.

 **[Boost!]**

He slammed his clasped hands down on it in a hammer blow, releasing all of the gathered kinetic force at the same time. Even god-like beings had to bow down to physics sometimes it seemed, and for all its magical power and defenses, once it was in the air, it was nothing but mass and acceleration till it found a way to even the field.

Hati couldn't. It tried to twist away from him, but the force slammed onto it, driving it down and into the ground, an indentation its size carved onto the surface.

Not done, Issei roared, burned another set of runes onto Skoll's paws, identical to the ones on its brother.

The power of destruction went into Tsubaki's Sacred Gear, and for a moment, it absorbed it all, the surge of energy abruptly vanishing.

It reappeared a second later, erupting from the surface of the mirror, _stronger_ this time, more potent. It even seemed 'hungrier' this time, devouring all that it touched.

Skoll recognized what was going on, and it tensed its muscles, rippling underneath the skin, and through sheer brute force, broke past the runes Issei willed onto him and threw himself away.

The golem, smaller now but still pretty enormous, swung its fists at Skoll, but something that heavy had too much inertia to just begin moving quickly, and Skoll had carved several furrows into its surface before the golem even got anywhere near the wolf.

Issei was seriously starting to hate the golden one. He picked himself up, aware of just how low his reserves were, leaving his cane standing up on the ground like a flag in a battlefield, and flung himself to where the stream of destruction had headed after missing Skoll.

He roared in defiance, pushing away his exhaustion, his pain, his fear and anxiety, instead bringing to the forefront of his mind all his will, and he held his hands out, bringing out every single scrap of power remaining in him, and created a circle.

Sci-fi, urban fantasy, even high fantasy loved to portray teleportation in their universe, and Issei could see why. It was simply so convenient that it universally had an appeal to it.

Well, barring the philosophical question of 'is it really still you?' that seemed to spout from the concept.

In the modern style of magic, or the style created by Merlin as several books and Sona told him, teleportation was much less destruction and recreation, and more along the lines of 'cheating' the world by shortening the distance between two points.

Essentially, one circle creates an 'entrance' in one part, and another for the 'exit'. It was so universal that, to Issei's knowledge, there was only one major design for teleportation allegedly made by Merlin himself, with the only changes being the calculations for magical energy needed to adjust the size of the circle.

Issei's plan was to use the teleportation circle to take in Rias' power and then redirect it as a more focused laser to obliterate Skoll.

It wasn't that easy, because of course it wasn't.

Rias' power actively resisted him, tearing at his circle with a mindless rage, and the threads of _magic_ holding it together began to break down.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei grimaced, pushing more magic into his circle before immediately realizing that that wasn't a good idea. Instead, he created _more_ circles, all of them identical to each other, and created another set on the opposite hand, this one meant to push out the power of destruction.

It tore itself out from his hand, bloodlust emanating from it, so suddenly that Issei actually lost control over it for a moment.

"Hyoudou-kun, the other one!"

Issei didn't even bother to check, instead placing his trust in Tsubaki's warning, whirling in place and thrusting his hand out to a Hati caught in mid-lunge.

The river of destruction hit it directly, and for a moment, even against Issei's indignation for the silver one, he had too feel admiration for the few seconds where it managed to survive.

But even a god had limits.

Rias' previous attack on Hati, without a serious investment of power, had managed to carve out a small chunk of flesh on its body.

Something with _that_ much poured into it? Probably the entirety of Rias' reserves, or at least close to it, doubled by Tsubaki's Sacred Gear?

It wasn't even a fair match.

Hati was torn apart, no, that wasn't accurate. Hati's front half was completely obliterated, eaten away by the power of destruction so quickly and so eagerly there wasn't even any time for sounds to come from it.

It landed with a meaty thunk on the ground, only the latter half of its body intact, innards spilling out into the earth.

Issei fell to one knee, and even with his Boosted Gear, his casual throwing around of his power without any thought of conservation left him with nearly empty reserves, something that Asama would no doubt lecture him about later. He gasped for breath, sweat stinging at his eyes, his throat raw. Strange. He didn't remember screaming.

Still, he couldn't quite avoid the fact that there was a savage pleasure rising from somewhere in him at having triumphed against Hati, at being the victor while the cooling corpse lay in front of him, a testament to his accomplishment.

A tiny voice told him that he should be sickened by himself.

Still, that wasn't important right now. He tried to link himself down towards the leyline once again, but the two forces battling over it was still not done, the both of them tearing at each other with murderous abandon.

Well for the next few seconds, he was completely out of magic power, a sitting duck for all intents and purposes.

Loki's voice screamed out to the heavens, while the other remaining wolf joined him, a cry that pierced the very soul resounding out.

"Skoll! Skoll, what happened to your brother?!" Loki's voice screeched out, and when Issei turned to look at him, it was to find the god inside a circle of magic, scarred eyes furious, mouth frothing over, blood dripping from his eyes. "Who was it that killed Hati?! Kill him, kill him and avenge your brother, blood of my blood!"

' _Huh_ ,' Issei thought as he faced the oncoming maelstrom of fang and claw with a strange calmness to him. _'So the silver one_ was _Hati.'_ At least he got that one right.

 **[Boost!]**

He straightened, feeling a deep exhaustion steep into him, but it wasn't physical or at least- he amended as his muscles began to ache- not completely. A haze had dropped across his mind, muting his vision and distorting his thoughts into a blur.

He could barely even bring his will to bear, so tired of it all. Instead, he brought his magic to the forefront of his mind, thinking back on the circles he had designed and choosing the one that would best help him in his current situation.

A gout of yellow flame burst from the circle, and Issei immediately frowned, feeling the difference between magic circles and spellcrafting. These flames were lukewarm compared to the ones he just used, and he just knew that it wouldn't do anything to Skoll. He immediately cut it off, instead creating a circle that launched him away from where he was underneath him, still feeling the Loki's wrath directed at him.

His eyes widened, crossing his arms in front of him, his barrier nearly faltering as he barely maintained his concentration enough to keep it up, a circle that acted as a shield forming itself in front of Issei.

Loki's flame was hot enough that it was literally a solid object, taking the shape of wolf reminiscent of Hati howling at him, igniting the very air around it as the burned itself towards him.

A glacier the size of a mountain fell in front of it, light emanating from a point deep inside it, throwing off the shadows of the darkened sky in an area around it.

The flame abruptly collapsed in on itself, turning into a bar of pure white flame, so bright that it hurt to look at, piercing right through the ice.

It got halfway through before the glacier suddenly melted, turning into a spherical ocean, parts of it turning into steam as the sheer heat of the inferno evaporated it without even having to touch the liquid itself, but the amount of water in it countered the flame's advance. The steam abruptly hardened, turning into hundreds upon hundreds of spears of ice, all firing towards Loki.

The god waved his hands, calling up a gale that parted the wave of icicles around him, stabbing into the ground ineffectively while the area directly around Loki in a ten-meter radius free of any markings.

All of that happened in the span of a few seconds, literally the speed of thought, maybe even less.

Loki howled again, screaming incoherently. His entire being caught fire, eyes containing an explosion, the blood running down from them evaporating as it ran down his cheeks.

Issei had to force himself to turn away from the sight, equal parts haunted and captivated by Loki's appearance, and to actually focus on Skoll first.

Rias lay in a pool of blood, Akeno standing above her King, miko uniform stained in dirt and blood, face set in an ashen mask of defiance and rage. The roar of thunder sounded, so loud that it was almost a physical thing t, and lightning raining down from the sky and striking at Skoll .

His heart dropped to his stomach, almost immediately followed by anger, so much anger that he felt everything go numb, a core of pure fire settling inside of him.

Tsubaki held a hand out, Mirror Alice in front of her, guarding her King from Skoll's attack.

The mirror shattered upon contact with the golden wolf's fangs, fire running through its entire being. Tsubaki only had time to look surprised and set up a last minute barrier before Skoll slammed into her.

Issei exploded into action before he was even completely aware of what his body was doing, vision sharpening a tad as pure, intense emotion built up inside of him.

 **[Boost!]**

He screamed until his throat was raw, magic bursting out from a circle in front of him in a salvo of missiles, all converging towards Skoll, dozens of streams of magical light all screeching towards Skoll. Lances of force erupted from his hands, along with bars of near-solid flame, chunks of earth ripping from the ground to hurl themselves at Skoll.

The giant wolf was thrown off with a yelp of surprise, Tsubaki being thrown off like a ragdoll, but Issei wasn't done. He kept on screaming, pushing all his magic into the circle, creating more missiles, no thought of conservation entering his mind, only focusing on destroying Hati.

Suddenly, his circle closed with an almost audible snap. At the same time, he lost feeling in his bad leg, collapsing to the ground. He floundered around, pushing himself up, and managing to awkwardly sit himself on the ground. A short distance away, Skoll had righted himself up and in its intelligent eyes, a glint of savage satisfaction shone through.

It stalked towards him, the lightning still striking against its back slowly burning its fur but Hati ignored it, instead slowly walking towards Issei, each step of its enormous paws leaving burning prints on the ground.

 **[Boost!]**

Issei scuttled backwards, trying to force his leg to move with his magic again, but it refused to respond, laying there uselessly.

He tried to reach out, to command the wind to bring his cane back to him, but he only managed to make it sway a little, simply too spent to cast any more magic, let alone any spells.

Realizing that he didn't have any magic, he glared defiantly at Hati, refusing to show any fear, even as his entire body shook. He tried to convince himself that it was exhaustion.

Skoll didn't even look damaged, only a few singed spots in its fur, but nothing else to show the assault Issei loosed on him. Issei was beginning to think that Hati was the jobber of the family. Hati may have been faster, but Skoll seemed to be the freaking king.

A single spear slammed into its back, knocking it off course, sending it skidding on the ground. It shook wildly, getting its feet back under it. Its golden mane burned bright, flames actually forming on its back, but the armored figure held on, his twelve wings stabbing deep into its flesh, carving off strips of meat from its body while he twisted his light-wrought weapon.

The fire brightened, rising dangerously, and the figure leaped back, leaving a blackened trail of fur where his weapon made its mark.

A cruel-looking helm showed violet eyes, nothing but wrath in those violet eyes, an anger that predated language, the primal anger inscribed deep into each person's very psyche. It was the anger of vengeance before any word that described it even existed, the anger of someone wronged, and the anger of one seeking to wash away that wrong, with blood and flame.

Horns of black and gold stabbed at the sky, the curve of its length adding a brutal air to its entire existence. Purple light showed across its body, a dagger-sharp tail extending from its back, dragging to the ground. Its limbs were powerful, jagged edges protruding here and there.

In its hand it carried a two-pronged spear, taller than Issei was, made of yellow light, practically cackling with power.

It looked almost like Vali's Balance Breaker, only feeling less...genuine somehow.

Skoll squared its shoulders against him, baring its fangs in a snarl, but Azazel, and it could only be him clad in that armor, calmly approached, creating a sword in his right hand, all but vibrating with power, and Hati, a god-like being, flinched away.

Azazel was a predator, possibly one of _the_ oldest ones in history, if the stories about the Fallen Angel were anywhere near true. Issei fought a Fallen Angel before, and Roshan had nearly damn well killed him, _did_ kill him by destroying his heart, and it was only through a lot of bullshit that he was still alive.

Chazakiel had ten wings and it was one of the most humbling experiences he has ever had in his entire life. The sheer amount of power he had, being subjected to it first hand had been terrifying.

Issei didn't know what the difference was between ten wings and twelve, but what he felt from Azazel was leagues beyond Chazakiel.

Chazakiel had power in leagues.

Azazel _was_ power. Everything he did simply declared it. He didn't need to boast, or to scream. He simply _was_ , and there was no mistaking it for anything else.

Skoll gave ground, and that was enough for the predator inside Azazel. The Fallen Angel all but disappeared from sight, his whole being a mere blur of motion.

Skoll's eyes suddenly gained a glint of satisfaction, and it twisted its neck, narrowly avoiding the blade, jaws snapping close on the place where Azazel's hand were a mere half-second ago.

Issei narrowed his eyes. Did Skoll get faster?

Golden fire exploded from the wolf, hiding its being inside the flame except for its head, eyes filled with nothing but hate.

Azazel faced it calmly, face a mask of supreme confidence.

Another golem suddenly tore itself out of the ground behind Skoll, taking huge steps that shook the earth, building momentum as it went along.

Azazel took the opportunity, curtains of midnight spreading behind him, and speeding towards Skoll.

The wolf batted at the golem, and it crumbled to pieces as if it were made of paper, but that half-second of effort was enough for Azazel to get close to Skoll, spear barely even a blur.

Issei realized just how useless he was in this situation. He regained enough magic in him to create a circle that called forth a gust of wind that lifted his cane over to him.

He stood with its help awkwardly, moving towards where the teenage devils were gathered, keeping the battle in his periphery.

"What happened?" He asked Sona, the closest devil to him who was kneeling over Tsubaki, blood staining the two's bodies.

Sona shook her head, face pale, hands shaking even as one hand squeezed one of Tsubaki's own and the other on top of her stomach where the blood seemed thickest.

Issei pursed her lips, turning towards Tsubaki. Without sugarcoating it, she looked like hell. Her face was ashen, eyes barely even cognizant. When Issei's gaze went down, he nearly threw up.

The skin around her whole stomach, as well as her arms were blackened. His ability informed him that the black stuff was burnt carbon, and that even now the cells of her skin were dying rapidly. Issei felt bile rise in his throat and he frantically turned off his choker, nearly tearing it off in his haste.

Seeing it in full, without the numbers interrupting, was somehow worse. The skin around the wound itself, a puncture wound only a few inches across but relatively deep, was charred shut, the edges blackened and burned, flakes of skin drifting away every so often. Issei wasn't an expert, but he was sure that the insides of her stomach was discolored. Muscle shouldn't look black and yellow, a clear liquid coating her skin.

Issei shuddered, but swallowed heavily, trying to push away his disgust, his squeamishness and knelt down to Sona's side. "How can I help?" Reya and Momo were with her, a green aura flowing from them, and the blackened parts of the wound slowly but visibly began to be pushed away.

"She's stable. Reya and Momo are helping me. It will take a while, but Tsubaki might just get out with nothing more than a scar," Sona's voice came out, wavering. "If you know any healing magic at all, then please help Rias. She's," She shook her head, and she began to cry. It wasn't those beautiful, single-tear cries in movies. She looked miserable, eyes a puffy mess, nose runny. "Just please, help Rias."

Issei nodded, patted Sona's shoulder hesitantly, and approached the red-headed Gremory.

She lost her left hand.

Issei stood dumbly for a second, just staring at the burned stump of her left arm, cut off at the elbow. Her eyes were half-closed, but when he approached, she managed to give him a somewhat shaky smile. "H-hello Issei-kun," She said, voice somewhat raspy. "I'm all right if that's what you want to ask." She giggled, something that Issei never heard, or even seen before. He didn't even think she was the type to do that. He always thought of her as refined, elegant. The very picture of grace. Not so now, especially when that giggle turned into broken sounding laughter.

Issei sat down at her side, beside Akeno who was holding out a hand towards the wound, eyes furrowed in intense concentration, Koneko and Kiba standing vigil over her.

Issei took another look at the cauterized wound. It was blackened, the same as Tsubaki's, creeping up to her upper bicep. Based on her burned clothes, her side had also suffered the same damage.

"Where's her arm?" Issei asked quietly, meeting Akeno's eyes directly. "If we hurry, we might even get a chance to-"

"Burned." Koneko answered for her, staring at her King with a somber expression. She wasn't scared of anything, not right now, Issei realized. Koneko was scared _for_ Rias. "Skoll burned it off."

Yikes. He wasn't going to say it out loud, but Issei personally thought that Rias was lucky she only got those wounds. It could have, and by all rights, should have been much worse.

"Okay, old-fashioned healing then," Issei muttered. "If she gets out of this, maybe she could ask her brother for an automail arm or something. Who knows. Might even teach her alchemy or something."

No one laughed at his admittedly poor attempt at brevity. Or maybe they just didn't get the reference.

Issei reached up to his choker, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He opened them, looking intently at Reya's, Sona's, and Momo's hands. He memorized the way their magic, different from his own, moved, how it acted.

He glanced down at the Boosted Gear which had stopped its countdown for some reason, and willed it away.

He didn't need power for this. What he had recovered was enough, at least, he expected that it was. What he needed was clarity of mind.

He called forth his power from within him, his will. He reached for his desperation, his anxiety, his fear. He gathered his amazement that he held for magic, the love he held for the craft.

Magic for Issei really was about creation. It was tiring, it could be dangerous enough to seriously harm you if you made even the slightest mistake at times, but it was beautiful, rewarding. The sheer satisfaction of completing your circle or spell, casting it perfectly, of looking over what you did and seeing if you could improve your circle as much as you made yourself all the better for fixing your mistakes.

He reached for that feeling, the sheer delight of his practice mixed with the despair of failure, the tiring, rewarding feeling that blossomed inside him whenever he did something right, whenever he discovered something new, and gathered it all with everything he held in himself.

Issei let his magic reach out. He felt Rias resist, but only barely. She was running seriously low on power. He didn't quite know what devil magic did, but he was reasonably sure that it boosted natural recovery to way more than what humans had.

Still, that wasn't quite enough for something this bad.

With the amount of resistance Rias was putting up, Issei could have overridden it and went on with what he planned to do, but it felt wrong to do that somehow. Unethical.

Instead, he laid a hand on Rias' shoulder, coaxing her to let him in, with his magic just as much as he did with his words.

Slowly, the resistance dwindled, Rias opening herself up to Issei. She shuddered and closed her eyes. He felt Akeno's gaze intent on him, but he didn't meet them. Instead he focused on Rias and nothing else.

He took another deep breath, and dived into his magic.

He barely heard Rias' breathy gasp, and he twitched, before trying to make his magic 'gentler.' Issei hesitated before shaking his head. Not the time for that. His hands touched Rias' bicep, feeling the coarse, blackened skin, the muscles convulsing wildly.

Rias' magic begin to accept his own, slowly at first, hesitantly, but she opened up as she realized that he was only trying to help.

He let his magic run all over her, looking for places where his magic could insert themselves to help Rias recover. He touched on her arm and persuaded her body to accelerate its healing. At the same time, he made his magic move, destroying the harmful parts of the injury, fixing the muscles and the skin that were torn. Slowly, the blackened skin began to flake over while healthy new ones covered the injury, pink and raw, but healthy.

When he finally pulled back from his magic and back to consciousness, it was to see the archangel Uriel standing vigil over him and Rias, head bowed along with a beautiful silver-haired woman, wearing armor straight out of a videogame, magic spiraling out of her fingers, in motion but not crafted into anything just yet.

Issei blinked, looking around him.

Azazel stood in front of a subdued Skoll, an old man with extremely long, grey hair and an equally long beard of the same shade, with him.

Vali laid unconscious, and Issei nearly yelled out as Fenrir, freaking _**Fenrir**_ was standing over him almost protectively. He got smaller though, and the stench that hung around him was no longer with the wolf.

"Again with the insults to my being Odin? Do you not remember the bygone days where we mixed our blood? And now you allow my son, and my sons' sons, to be humiliated, to be slain, without asking for blood in return?!" Loki was screaming, still free but facing Serafall, Michael, Odin, Ajuka, and Azazel. He wouldn't be free for long, not against those enemies. "Where was the father of war then?! You would cast aside your very nature because it advantaged you!? "

"He has subjugated Fenrir, Loki. It is a peril of battle, and one that your son understands. It is merely the natures of conflict."

"What I ask is justice!" Loki snarled. "Where is the justice in this, All-father?!"

Odin's expression hardened. "You ask for justice when _you_ brazenly attacked the devils, the fallen angels, and the angels without informing me? When you all but declared _war_ without the input of your own head?"

Loki gave a mocking laugh. "You sacrificed your eye for wisdom and even now you are still ignorant of what is going on in your own plane?" Loki's scowl was enough to literally set himself on fire. "And I ask, where was the justice when you, my blood-brother, stood by while I had my lips sewn shut?! When Skadi placed that infernal snake above my form?!" He pointed furiously at his ruined eyes. "Where was your justice," He spat out the word, pure venom in his voice. "when I was sealed for _centuries_ to thwart your Ragnarok?!" He held his hands out to his sides. "I am here now! I am free! Where. Is. Ragnarok?!" He screamed to the very skies.

Odin scowled, hands tight on his spear. "Your mercies at Skadi's hands did nothing to curb your arrogance! Mayhaps our Twilight is already in place, with the sheer idiocy you have just done!"

"Then let it be so! I am mother to Sleipnir, your own steed Odin!" Loki sneered, straightening his back, gaining a surety to his eyes, a pride so pure that it almost hurt to look at. "I am father of Fenrir the sun-eater, of Hel half-rotted, of Jormungand the world-serpent! I am Loki Scar-Lip, Loki Skywalker, Loki the Giant-born, Loki the Lie-Smith. I am Loki, of fire and of wit and of hate, and my will shall be the harbinger of Ragnarok, the Twilight of Gods."

"You will not stand down?" Ajuka asked, stepping in between Odin and Loki, not quite hiding the other from their vision, suit as impeccable as ever. "As the host of this meeting, it falls onto me to ensure the lives and well-being of those who attended." His eyes roved over to Sona, to Rias, their peerages. He saw Serafall with a burned right arm and Michael whose wings were tattered slightly. "I am in a _very_ bad mood right now Loki, because this day has been a complete and utter disaster for all of us."

He snapped his hands towards Loki, and chains of ethereal green snapped into existence, wrapping around Loki's limbs, across his chest, wrapping around his throat. It dragged him low to the ground, to his knees, but that pride never once went away.

Issei looked closer, and his eyes widened. Those chains weren't made out of steel, or even just conjured from magic. No, each of the links of those chains were created with hundreds upon hundreds of tiny magical circles, all of them distinctly different from each other, every one of them ridiculously complicated, complex enough that _Issei's_ head began to spin. And that was just _one_ link.

Loki's eyes gleamed. "Oh, it will get worse sweet devil," He purred. "Your kind has been the staunchest allies of Odin for centuries now. I am but one of the things that would mar this day for you Beelzebub, and I would gladly be a pawn for God's Star if it meant ruining Odin's life, as he had right now. Oh, the actions he took today will echo for "

"What are you talking about?!" Azazel demanded, and Loki let out a mocking peal of laughter even as the chains tightened around him.

"Oh, ask God's Fire," Loki's lips spread into a manic grin. "Tell him archangel, tell them all about what happened at the heart of your power here in the mortal realm."

Everybody turned to Uriel who bowed his head, eyes grim. "The Pope has been slain not an hour ago. Saint Peter's Basilica is in ruins, more than a dozen of our exorcists dead. Griselda was not in Italy at the time, nor was Dulio."

Azazel froze. "Who was the perpetrator?" He demanded with the desperation of a man who realized the truth but could not believe it.

Uriel stared the Governor dead in the eye. "Kokabiel." He closed his eyes. "He crucified the Pope in the Vatican, the stolen Excalibur Blessing plunged into his heart. Vasco Strada managed to slay him before he got away, but you know what this means Azazel."

Azazel nodded dumbly. "War," He whispered. "Kokabiel has escalated the ceasefire with a declaration of war so blatant it could never be healed this side of the millennium."

Michael's eyes looked incredibly sad as he stared at Azazel. "The church would never agree to the peace now. Believe me, I want to end this conflict more than anything else, but those under me would rebel if I do so now, and it's my responsibility to protect them before anything else." Michael paused before offering his hand to Azazel. "I'm deeply sorry that it had to be this way, but as it stands, the peace between the Angels and the Fallen Angels cannot stand."

Azazel stared at it for a moment before letting out a laugh. To Issei, it sounded incredibly sad, weighed down with regret and sorrow. "The Grigori condemns Kokabiel's actions, and we will formally announce that to the supernatural circles later on on our decision."

"It won't be enough Azazel, you know that." Michael looked pained. "My people will revolt against me if I force the peace. I fear that even Metatron-dono might disapprove of that decision, and he is the one I never want to anger. Looking back on it, I don't even know how the peace would have worked. There has simply been too much blood shed between us, all of us."

"So Kokabiel won." Azazel said bitterly. "He got what he has been seeking for so long. The reignition of the war."

Michael stared at him for a long second. "No one wins in this situation brother." He said quietly. "Not even him, I would like to think, if he would be alive to see the harvest of the seeds he's sown."

Issei felt a hand tug at his back, and he turned to see Arianna shaking, looking exhausted,, slumped over, eyes terrified. Her hand was shaking. "W-what's going on?" She whispered, shrinking on herself. "What's happening?"

"Asgard will burn!" Loki yelled gleefully. "Asgard will burn, and I will watch it happen!"

"You will rot in the dungeons for this act of treachery brother," Odin thundered. "You will be rotting in that accursed place when Creation itself comes to a close."

Loki cackled. "Not even our prison will survive complete destruction brother. I will watch your plane burn, and I will be free once more."

"Rossweisse, take him away. Find the deepest, coldest cell in the dungeons and bind him completely. I do not want him even breathing in Asgard, do you understand me?"

"Yes Odin-sama," The silver-haired beauty bowed her head, and gripped the clasped Loki by his arm. The god didn't resist for a second, instead continuing on in his laughter.

"Hati need not be avenged," He rasped, staring straight at Issei with a mad grin. "All I need to do is wait and you too shall perish, one more grain of sand being dragged away by the inevitable current of the ocean. My grandson _will_ get his revenge, one way or another. **You will die, alone and afraid.** "

Issei shivered.

Magic layered Loki's words, and Issei suddenly felt sick, psychically ill. It was an assault on his very mind, and he staggered backwards, and only managed to stay standing because of Arianna.

Even as Loki was carried away screaming, Serafall tending to Tsubaki's injuries while Ajuka inspected Rias, Issei stood wondering what the hell just happened.

()()()()()()()()()

Issei trudged back home with Arianna, mentally exhausted by everything that just happened. Hell, he was all but blacked out as he walked towards home, barely even functioning. The meeting had continued, for some reason, but it was a farce by then, the atmosphere heavy and tense. It wrapped up after ten minutes and everyone left, leaving Issei and Arianna alone.

Issei closed his eyes in exhaustion, taking a mental recap of what just happened

One, he was invited to a peace conference that got interrupted by some terrorists that didn't want the three factions to play nice.

Two, the attack, ironically enough, made the alliance, for a few moments, seem viable because of a common enemy uniting the three factions against the attackers.

Three, the Pope of the Catholic Church was dead, Excalibur Blessing pushed right through his chest, the Exorcist bodyguards he employed all slaughtered, with Kokabiel's dead body in the same building, burns in his hand suggesting that _he_ was the one to use Excalibur on the dead Pope, a sign of aggression so blatant that it pretty much _destroyed_ any chance of the peace taking hold.

Yep, Asama was right. This probably _was_ one of the most noteworthy events in recent history if only because of how bloodily it ended.

Arianna spoke up after a long stretch of silence in a foreign language, looking up to him quizzically.

Issei blinked at the sudden alien language before reaching up and turning off the choker. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Um, I said, what do we do now?"

Issei honestly didn't know. The night was just so exhausting that he wanted nothing more than to sleep. Still, he wasn't so rude as to just ignore her so he answered. "I guess life goes on," He muttered. "You wanted to learn magic right? I guess I could teach you." He glanced at her obliquely. "You know how to make golems."

It wasn't a question.

Arianna pursed her lips and nodded. "It's the only thing I know how to do," She admitted, plunging her hand down her blouse and taking out a small book covered in the chain of her necklace. An aiding grimoire, Issei guessed from the context of the conversation and the slight research he did on the topic.

Certain grimoire merely contained knowledge, priceless knowledge to be sure, but only that. Some have gained a type of sentience, enough to actively aid those it recognized as their wielders with casting their caster begins a circle or a spell, and the grimoire actually uses part of its own magic to complete it, stronger and more efficient than if the user did it by their lonesome. It was like those weapons in video games that grew along with the players. The knowledge the caster has becomes inscribed into the leafs of the grimoire they held.

According to some rumors, an old and strong enough grimoire could actually manifest a body made out of pure energy.

They were also supposed to be rare, rarer than actual grimoires and those were hardly a dime a dozen. Oh sure, grimoires could be copied, but it wasn't quite the same. The originals, written by the author with magic just as much as ink, still had that magical weight to them, different and instantly discernible to any half-competent eye.

Aiding grimoire on the other hand, simply _became_. Even the archmages in the world had no definitive answer, only theories about them. Some said that the psychic and magical link between a magic user and a particular object gave the grimoire sentence. Some said that the age of the grimoire simply gave it a mind of its own similar to the youkai of Japan.

Arianna saw him looking and she bit her lip. Looking agonized, she offered the book to Issei with shaky hands. "Is, is this enough as payment?"

Issei, for a moment, actually considered accepting. Aiding grimoires were, aporcyphally, one of the best foci a magician could have. Energy efficient, powerful, and nigh-indestructible apparently. That, combined with Issei's own natural aptitude for magic, would make him Powerful.

He reached over, fingers a hair's breadth away from the grimoire.

Then he saw the look on Arianna's face. Hesitant, uncertain.

Suddenly, Issei realized that if he accepted, he was making himself out to be that bad guy in the story. He sighed, pushing away all thoughts of taking the book, actually feeling ashamed of himself for even thinking about it.

He sighed, lips twitching into a ghost of a smile, and closed Arianna's arms around her book. "Don't need it," He said cheerfully. "I said I'd teach you, and I'm not going back on my word." He dug around in his pockets for pen and paper.

He wrote his address on the pocket notebook he's started carrying around for random notes to himself, tearing the page out and giving it to Arianna. "Go to my house around noon tomorrow I guess. I have some books that you might find interesting. You already have some grounding on earth-based magic, so the european system might be best for you."

Arianna blinked, still holding out her grimoire with a perplexed expression. "Then...how am I going to pay you? For your lessons?"

A part of Issei told him that she could do a _lot_ of things as payment. Issei told that part of him to shut up.

"Uh, if you can, lend me your grimoire every once in awhile?" Issei asked. He may have not been enough of an asshole to completely take the grimoire for himself, but studying one in close detail was still tempting enough to simply just pass over.

"That's all?" Arianna asked.

"Uh, yeah I guess." Issei shrugged. Honestly, how hard could it be to teach someone?

To his surprise, Arianna's eyes suddenly began to water. She reached up and began to wipe at them.

He stood awkwardly, not really sure what to do when a girl he barely knew was crying in front of him.

"Sorry," She hiccupped. "It's just, I'm so happy. I never really thought that I'd be anything other than average, and when mama gave this grimoire to me, I finally thought that I'd be special. But I don't even know magic other than what this stupid book has in it and I'm just so-" She teared up some more, sniffing loudly.

Issei hesitated before placing a hand on top of her shoulder. "Um, it isn't really a big deal."

"It is!" She shouted. "For me, it is! This might be one of the most important moments in my life! I'm finally on my way to becoming an actual magician! I might finally be able to make something of myself! So please don't say that it's no big deal because it is!"

"I'm sorry," Issei said simply, staring at her. "I didn't realize."

"Ah, no, I'm the one who should be apologizing master!" Arianna waved her hands wildly. "I shouldn't have raised my voice against you like that!"

"No, it's fine." Issei vaguely gestured. "Communication is important and all."

"Thank you for understanding." Arianna brightened up. "Oh, this is where I go off now. Byebye!" She ran off, a skip in her step. Just before she rounded a corner, she let out a whoop of delight. "I'm going to be a magician!"

Issei watched her go with a faint smile. She was cute when she did that, like a little sister that he never had.

He shook his head and began to walk towards his house, taking his time to do so. He was only five minutes away from home anyways.

Suddenly, he felt a cold chill at the back of his neck. Instincts screaming at him, he lunged to the side, creating a barrier of magic around him.

The sonic boom followed a second later, just after the impact of the high-speed rifle round tearing a hole into the earth where he was barely a moment ago.

Issei scanned the area wildly, managing to track the area where the bullet came from based on the chipped off pieces of metal in the air that had burned off from the bullet due to wind resistance.

He spotted the sniper on top of a nearby building. Issei growled, forcing his will outwards of his body, magic gathering pieces of dust and dirt from the ground, forming two razor sharp wings behind him.

He crouched low, building force, and launched himself towards the assassin. Remembering what happened earlier, he lifted his cane and pointed the end at his direction.

Issei ran his magic through the runes, and they instantly did their work. A lance of kinetic force tore its way towards the rogue mage, before Issei realized that he was on top of someone's home.

Issei growled, realizing that there was no way for him to throw around magic without causing wanton destruction. He grimaced and came closer, wings screeching against the cool air.

The assassin aimed that huge revolver at him again, the barrel dark and impersonal. With a roar of thunder, it spat out a bullet, once, twice, thrice, the man barely even flinching against the recoil.

Issei commanded the wings in front of him, shredding the bullets to pieces. The assassin dropped the gun into his pocket, picking up a larger one from the inside of his coat, but still small enough to be able to carry it in one hand.

It rattled off in quick succession, barely a pause between shots. Issei scowled, pursuing him as he slowly, methodically retreated.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of rage bubble inside of him.

Just who the hell was this guy, that he could try and kill Issei in his own damn town?

Issei snarled, feeling his gut heat up. His power, low from the fight barely an hour ago, suddenly roared.

The Boosted Gear appeared on his left arm, all spikes and danger. He clenched his clawed hands, just itching to let magic fly.

An irrational part of his mind told him to do it. That Kuoh was _his_ town, and it was his responsibility to keep it that way.

The more rational section of his brain said no. There was simply too much risk by doing so, the lives of people, as well as their homes.

The bullets suddenly abated, the assassin keeping the gun away from Issei for a single second to reload.

Issei pounced, keeping his body low, but a few feet before the magician, he slammed the brakes and backtracked quickly.

In that particular moment, a circle shone a bright white, originating from Europe based on the inner part alone. It was designed to bind anyone or anything that was in its radius when it activated. But with nothing for the magic to hold onto, it simply used it all up, disappearing after a few seconds.

Issei slowly straightened, staring straight at his would-be killer, trying to keep a calm expression on his face.

"Who are you?" Issei asked.

He got a bullet to the face for his trouble. "Well diplomacy didn't work." Issei muttered, stepping back and holding his hand out, golden fire bursting from his fingertips in a bar of near-solid flame.

Issei felt a wild glee in him as the assassin visibly reacted with shock, dropping his gun and fumbling for a defense. He gave up and simply ducked low. The flames slagged a part of the building behind him, and Issei immediately shut it out.. In return, he simply commanded the wind, still hot from the sheer heat of the flames that passed through it, and slammed it all into the body of the man in a gust that lifted him off his feet before driving him into the rooftop they were on.

Issei leapt at the man who managed to recover, dodging out of the way and holding an arm out, a magic circle appearing on his palm, lightning cackling out from it.

Issei responded by crafting a circle of his own, taking inspiration from the earth-based creations of the gnomes, grounding the electricity downwards. He pointed the end of his cane towards the mage, running his magic through the focus and into the runes.

Force slammed into him, driving him from the rooftop and back down on the streets.

Issei paused for a single second, watching as the man fell to concrete in a roll, dispersing the momentum before dashing away.

"Shit!" Issei swore, grabbing his cane by the middle and jumping down to the streets, deciding that the wings were too inconspicuous for use. Well, _more_ inconspicuous than what they were already doing anyway. In fact, he saw several lights behind windows light up, presumably from the noise of what was going on. Or maybe because people had stuff to do.

Issei cursed again. Anime, manga and the light novels made it look so easy with their pocket dimensions every time they fight. Why couldn't it be that way for real life too?

Issei cleared the buildings, arriving at the local park, the assassin with his back to the fountains, that huge revolver of his pointed at Issei.

He hadn't fired it though, so that may be a good sign. Maybe he'd even consider going in peace.

Yeah, sure. Issei believed that.

The entire radius of the park lit up with magic, and Issei snarled. How the hell could he possibly have had enough time to set up something?

A single rune began to carve itself in the air between Issei and the assassin.

"To the death do we fight, no spells on our lips, no weapons on our hands, but only the strength upon our body. To death do we fight."

The rune hung between them, glowing a pale violet before exploding into strands of power, splitting itself equally, the two halves making its way towards Issei and the assassin.

Issei put up a barrier in front of him, one designed to repel all magical attacks. To his surprise, while the stream of magic did lighten somewhat, it still hit him directly.

Abruptly, the magic circle snapped close, the magic supplying it simply disappearing. His cane flew out of his hands, landing a few feet away from him.

The man's gloved hands lit up with a faint blue light, and he rushed towards Issei. He was fast, but not inhumanly so

Issei's eyes narrowed, instinctively calling on his magic on the ground. His eyes widened when his magic circulated around his body enough, but dissipated the moment it left him.

Instead he flooded his body with magic, his body responding completely enough to his immense relief, and ducked underneath a fist, right onto the path of the other one.

Even with his body reinforced, it hit with the force of a bullet. A fist grabbed onto the back of his clothes, the other one that had dug into Issei's gut pulling out and forming itself into a claw.

Issei grabbed onto his wrist with both his hands, stopping it from tearing his throat out. He suddenly lost his balance as the man's legs swept his own out from underneath him, the hand on the back of his neck pulling Issei downwards.

Issei slammed onto concrete, the impact doing nothing due to his reinforcement. He rolled over just in time to avoid a meteoric fist, punching a hole deep into the ground.

Issei kicked at the man's knee, but his arm snaked downwards, grabbing onto Issei's ankle with blinding speed. He pulled Issei closer to him and lifted his arm, elbow poised to strike.

Issei's eyes widened, and he snarled. He lifted his body from the ground, twisting himself, and slammed his heel onto the descending limb.

The force behind the kick, augmented by magic, sent the man stumbling away, Issei's shoe still gripped in his hand. Issei scrambled to his feet, panting heavily.

Two life-and-death situations in one day. Damn but his life was too exciting. He should have stayed home.

Issei stood awkwardly, honestly not knowing what to do with his hands. He never had any previous martial arts experience at all, and cut off from spellcasting, he didn't know what to do aside from the don't get hit portion of a fight.

Issei hesitated, clenching his left hand. He called for the Boosted Gear, the crimson gauntlet covering his hand till his elbow, golden spikes jutting out at angles. The green jewel onset on the back of its wrist shined brightly.

 **[Boost!]**

Immediately, Issei felt the effects of the Sacred Gear. He felt his body grow lighter, his own vision sharpening, and as the man rushed towards him again, he appeared to move slower than before.

Issei jumped back from a low kick aimed at his shin, blocking a descending hammer blow with his two arms. He dodged a spinning elbow to the face and countered by striking his clawed fingers towards the man's face.

The man hit Issei's wrist, deflecting it to the side. Moving without any resistance, Issei went stumbling forward. The heel of his palm met Issei's moving chin, snapping his head back painfully, and he felt blood well in his mouth as his teeth slammed shut on the tip of his tongue.

He felt his outstretched arm grabbed by one hand, the back of his head held by another. He was spun around, and had his face smashed against the fountain.

His vision blacked out for a second, blood dribbling from his nose and mouth.

Instincts screamed at him, and he threw himself awkwardly away from stone basin just barely in time to avoid the foot that pulverized the place he was just in.

Issei pumped as much magic as he could throughout his body, but he still felt the touch of foreign magic inside of him. It was weak, comparatively simple too, but for some reason, he just couldn't force it out of his system.

Issei thought back to the runes that he saw in the air when the magic was activated. Ingwaz, Nauthiz, Ansuz, and two others that he didn't quite know the names of.

Nauthiz was for constraint, so Issei assumed that was the one sealing his power inside of him.

Ansuz was for communication, the one that linked Issei to the man he guessed.

Ingwaz was for the beginning and the end of a cycle.

' _To the death do we fight.'_

He stood up, clenching his fists in front of his body. He felt awkward doing it, but without spellcasting or magic crafting, he had no option except for hand-to-hand combat.

 **[Boost!]**

Again he felt his body lighten, his reflexes getting sharper.

It did absolutely nothing for his martial prowess.

Every strike the man did against Issei was perfectly executed, even the ones Issei managed to dodge or block still managing to deal glancing damage towards him.

In contrast, Isse was like a blind man when he fought against him, barely managing to land one blow in every three or four he threw.

Still, there was one thing that Issei noticed.

He was faster than the assassin he was fighting.

It was barely noticeable with the sheer grace his opponent was operating at, matching speed with pure finesse, but Issei was faster than him in terms of pure speed.

And that galvanized Issei even more.

 **[Boost!]**

Power surged throughout Issei's body once again, and his left hand reached up before his mind could completely catch up, closing around the man's arm.

He gripped hard, feeling the hard talons of the Boosted Gear tearing into flesh easily, digging into the bones of his forearm.

The man didn't even make a sound, instead sweeping at Issei's shin with his legs. Issei lifted his foot, slamming it on the assassin's own instep.

He heard the snapping of bone, and the man crumpled to the ground as his leg abruptly lost all its strength.

Issei, clawed fingers still embedded into the man's right hand bone, pitched forward as well, his weight all over the man's body.

His free hand reached for Issei's face, scratching at it, thumb closing on his eyes socket. Issei heard himself yell, wrenching his gauntlet deeper into the man's arm, feeling the bone crack under the pressure, but the man didn't let up, continuing to dig his digit deeper into Issei's eye.

Issei broke the hold, grabbing onto his arm, wrenching it away from his face and punched the man in the face. Magic protected him, cracks appearing on the ground instead of his skull.

So Issei did it again. Once, twice, thrice. He didn't even notice when the hands on his face had fallen limply to the side, or when the face he was pounding gave way to concrete. He simply slammed his fists downward, brain all but blanked out.

He just realized when he all but collapsed, exhausted. Hands shaking, he reached up to his neck to turn on his choker when he realized it already was. Shivering, he stared down at the headless corpse underneath him, blood splattered all over the pavement.

He crawled backwards on his hands, still moving on autopilot, staring at his handiwork with wide eyes.

His brain told him to get rid of the body, and before he knew what he was doing, the body was already burning to ashes, hot enough to disintegrate bone.

Numbly, he took his cane from the ground slowly, making his way towards his house.

He...he just _killed_ a man. Someone he didn't even know tried to kill him, and in return, Issei smashed his head into paste and burned the corpse. What the hell was he doing? He was way over his head in everything.

And the worst thing was, he didn't even care, and that terrified Issei more than anything else. He didn't care that he regularly faced death. He didn't care that he had the ability to kill people without even batting an eye.

It was easy, way too easy to see everyone as nothing more than sacks of meat, nothing but organic processes instead of seeing that as actual people.

It was way too easy to look at people as nothing more than the numbers that made them up.

It was just way too easy.

He knocked on his front door, not even noticing that he was already home, barely feeling the tears stinging at his eyes.

"Issei!" He heard his mom's frantic voice coming from down the hall. "I was so worried! It's already so late and there's reports of gunshots in the- what happened to you?" She all but shrieked.

Issei didn't have to look at himself to know that he looked like hell. He felt his nose stinging, eyes still throbbing from the near plucking it received. His body was dirty, covered in grime and blood and dust.

His arm was beginning to throb again in a phantom pain even when he was perfectly sure it was physically mended already.

His clothes were torn, shredded, and burnt in, resembling rags held together by thin strands more than pieces of cloth.

"I'm so tired mom," He rasped, feeling his voice come out as a hoarse rasp. "It's just too easy."

"Issei, what happened? Come in hurry. Go take a shower. I'll bring you your clothes and I'll phone the school to tell them you won't be able to come over tomorrow."

Issei let out a sob as his mother's warm hands wrapped around his shoulders, bringing him to the inside of their home with a gentleness that defied description.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **First off, I know I nerfed Skoll and Hati to hell. In canon, the two of them were Fenrir-lites, and they could tank Baraquiel, and even freaking Tannin's attacks like it was no big deal. The problem is, I remembered that particular tidbit too late. In fact, I even forgot about the two's presence in the novel. I only remembered the mass-produced Midgardsormrs and Fenrir, but I legitimately forgot about Fenrir's sons. I used the two because it fit, Fenrir was here so it made sense for Loki to use his grandchildren to fight. I only went back to the novel because I needed to consult something and then saw Skoll and Hati. So in the end, I kinda took inspiration from the original Norse myths rather than DxD canon. I believe it's the first major change in DxD that didn't come from Issei's crippling. Well, I just hope it's sorta excusable.**

 **In extension of that, since DxD canon isn't really clear on Loki all that much, I just decided on following the original Norse myths for his relationship to Odin, which is that both of them are brothers through drink apparently, through some (mis)adventure that I didn't find via google.**

 **Anyways, took too damn long for this because the last month of the semester was hell. Every week a new requirement, and once I finished with one, another takes it place. Papers, projects, exams, oral presentations, everything.**

 **No omake this time because I barely even managed to write this.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated.  
**

 **Edited Note:**

 **Skoll was the golden wolf, while Hati was the silver one. Well, Skolll chases the sun and Hati the moon in the Norse myths anyway, so it fit thematically. And in the first part of the fight, where Issei was focused on Skoll, yes, Hati WAS the one to attack him, and in the proceeding fight, it was him who was taking on Issei.**

 **I'm not really sure if that's what the confusion was about, but I hoped this clarified it a bit.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary:** It all started with a joke, a drunk truck driver and dreams of a harem and ended with a trip to the hospital, a broken leg, a crutch and the ability to see numbers everywhere. Yeah, Life isn't too kind on Issei. Sadly enough, he could see that it was about to get whole lot more complicated.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

 **Beta'd by demonwarrior1029**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

* * *

Issei woke up to a familiar ceiling. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes slowly, the simple motion taking an enormous amount of effort for something so small.

He groaned, feeling his entire body aching, and sat up on his bed, his whole being protesting at against his decision to do so.

The blanket fell off him, and he looked down to see himself clad in one of his more favored shirts, though he was also still wearing the pants he wore from the night before. He was surprisingly clean, a lot of the dust and grime of the previous night wiped away.

He turned and let his feet rest on the cool floor of his room, taking a few seconds to take in the feeling of it all. He sighed and grabbed his cane from the bedside, entering his bathroom.

He stood underneath the shower of nearly-scalding water for nearly a half hour, doing nothing but laying his head against the wall and letting the water run over him.

He closed his eyes, remembering the events of the previous night.

The peace meeting, Loki, Skol and Hati, the assassin.

Everything just went to hell so quickly, he could barely catch up. Hell, even know he was still reeling from it all.

He slid into some comfortable clothes, and slowly walked downstairs.

Each step was almost overwhelmingly heavy, the time it took for him to reach the bottom of the stairs so incredibly short.

"Issei," His mother greeted him, standing up from her seat in the kitchen dining table and hugging him briefly but tightly, before leading him to breakfast. His dad was on the table too, and seeing as it was way past time for him to go to work, he must have decided not to go. Issei felt that that was a waste of

"Mom," He started, looking down at the ground. "About last night-"

"Shh," His mom smiled at him "Don't mind that now Issei. We trust you. Now come on, your dad bought us food. There's even cheesecake for you later. We'll talk about it later."

Issei stared at his mother in shock before turning to his father who shrugged with a small smile as if saying 'what can you do?'

He sat down on a chair, picking up his chopsticks and slowly digging into his meal. His father began to talk about his office, about how they were going to let go of some people while his mother told them about how she was thinking of buying some new curtains for the house, the regular things they talked about during mealtimes.

It was...odd. Not really unpleasant, but the fact that they were willing to not talk about what happened last night gave Issei a sort of comfort at the thought that they trusted him to tell them when he was ready to tell them.

And Issei honestly did trust them. They were his parents, he loved them, with his entire life even. They deserved to know, more than anyone, about what he was doing. About everything.

"Mom, Dad," He sighed, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to say. "I have to tell you something. It's...it's something really important."

"Are you sure Issei?" His dad asked him, laying down the notebook he was reading through to look at him. "We completely understand if you don't want to show us right now. It's only normal for a teenager like you to keep secrets from his parents after all."

"No, it's...this is something you need to know." Issei sighed. He looked up and looked his mom and dad both in the eye, holding their gazes for a few seconds each before setting his eyes somewhere to the side. "Magic...magic is real."

They both blinked at him in almost complete unison, looking at each other before going back to him. "M-magic? What are you talking about Issei?"

He pursed his lips and held his hands out towards them and with a few calculations, as well as a small effort of will, made a small tongue of fire burst into a dance on the top of his palm. He stared at it for a while, just taking a few seconds to truly appreciate what he was doing, the sheer joy of using magic, of controlling the forces of creation and nature to his will, before meeting his parents' eyes.

They were transfixed by the flames, mouth dropped open in shock.

It got awkward after a while, so Issei shut off his magic, closing his hand around the fire, waiting for their reaction.

"W-well," His mother broke the silence. "I certainly didn't expect _that_."

"Last night, I thought that you were part of a gang." His dad admitted to him. "Or may be even that you got caught up in that Yakuza, but _magic?_ That's...that's just...magic wow, this is a lot to take in."

"Believe it or not, that's actually the most plain of what happened to me lately." Issei gave a weak smile.

" _Magic_ is the _least_ of what you've been through?" His mom bit her lip, looking worried. "Is that why last night you looked so beat up? What have you been doing Issei?"

Well, he was already telling them the truth, might as well tell them the entire thing. They really did deserve to know what he was up to.

So he told them, leaving nothing out. About Sona and Rias, about Asama, about Beelzebub, his trip to Kyoto, all the situations he's been in since entering the world of the supernatural. He showed them his Boosted Gear, showed them the things he could do with magic, told them about the existence of magic and the supernatural.

He told them about the previous night, from meeting Arianna all the way to the end of the peace meeting. He refrained from mentioning the assassin though. They could do without knowing that for a while.

"Well...um, so...do you think you could get a girlfriend with that?" His mom asked, looking a bit dazed.

"Mom!" Issei groaned, turning to his dad pleadingly.

"That Sona-san _did_ look like a good fit for Issei didn't she?" He wondered, putting a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh yes she did! She was so cute! And she looked like she was a hard worker too, a perfect fit for our lazy son!"

"I'm not lazy anymore!" Issei protested. "And Kaichou's a devil, so I doubt it would work."

"You'll find a way Issei!" She cheered him on. "Your father and I aren't getting younger, and we're really looking forward to spoiling our grandchildren!"

Issei put a hand to his face to hide his embarrassment. In complete honesty though, he was actually relieved that his parents weren't freaking out, that they weren't judging him or telling him off. He hadn't even thought of telling his parents about what he was doing because he was afraid that they were going to be disappointed with him, that they wouldn't approve.

It was...nice, to have that fear finally assuaged.

Issei and his parents looked up simultaneously as the doorbell ringed.

"Were we expecting someone dear?" His mom asked curiously.

"I don't think so. I'll send them away," His dad made to move. "I need to hear everything else from you Issei."

Issei's eyes widened and his head snapped over to the wall clock mounted on the wall, displaying the time.

Noon.

"Oh that's one of mine." Issei yelped, calling for his cane, his tool jumping to his hand on the command. His mom and dad jumped, Issei apologizing hastily before making his way towards the door.

Arianna stared up at him as he opened it, greeting him in a language that he didn't understand.

Issei stared at her for a while before coming to a realization. He flicked on his choker, and gestured for her to come inside. "Hey. You have any lunch already?" He asked as he led her to their dining table.

"A-ah, no not yet." She blushed, looking down. "But you don't have to!" She waved her hands in front of her furiously. "I mean, you're already taking the time off your day to teach me, you don't have to feed me either!"

"Nah it's fine." Issei assured her. "We were just eating anyways. I could teach you some of the stuff you want to know about after."

"Are you sure?" Arianna asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Issei shrugged. "This is my mom, and my dad. Mom, is it okay if she eats lunch with us?"

"A-ah, hello father, mother," Arianna greeted them slowly, hesitantly even.

"Issei, you can understand her?" His mom asked curiously, tilting her head at him. "Is this the result of magic?"

Arianna blinked, turning to Issei for help which reminded him of the fact that, while _he_ could understand her because of his ability, it didn't mean that she really _was_ speaking in another language. It was something that he's taken for granted now that he thought about it.

"She said hello," Issei explained to his mother, thinking of a magical spell that made people understand one another even if they were using completely different languages. Maybe Asama knew something about that.

"Ah, hello to you too...Issei, what's her name?" His dad whispered to him.

"More importantly, is she your girlfriend?!" His mom butted in, looking excited at the prospect. "She's your girlfriend isn't she? Oh you're so cute, having a foreigner as your girlfriend! Imagine Otou-san, the Hyoudou family becoming international! Oh, maybe our son will give us grandchildren after all!"

"Don't disappoint us son! I admit, I was slightly afraid that you would be alone in the future because you didn't have a girlfriend yet, but there's hope for us yet!"

The two of them simultaneously turned towards the young girl, who was staring at them cluelessly.

"She's cute. I like her." His mom approved.

"How can you accept someone that quickly!?" Issei yelled.

"What's your relation with her anyway?" His dad asked him.

"Ah, well, she kinda wants me to teach her magic so I did." Issei shrugged.

"Well, if you can, teach her how to use magic to speak our language. I want to hear all about her!" His mom squealed, clapping her hands in delight. She turned towards Arianna and began to gesture towards their spread, beginning to talk to her in surprisingly good English. " **Arianna-san, you eat as much as you want.** "

" **A-ah thank you.** "

Issei would've acted as a translator between them, but it looked like Arianna understood the gist of what she was saying. Besides, his mom looked...delighted to be speaking with Arianna, overjoyed, even against the language barrier and accented English the two of them were experiencing. His mom's eyes were shining in a way that he's never seen before.

Arianna nodded along, having trouble with the chopsticks that the Hyoudou Family used for their meals, eyes furrowed in concentration.

His mom moved to sit beside her, showing her how to properly use it.

Looking at the two of them already acting so closely, Issei felt...he didn't really know. Complicated? Yeah, if he had to say something about how he was feeling, it would be complicated.

"Hey Issei, can we talk?

Issei followed his father up towards the room he shared with his wife. Gesturing further, he stepped outside their veranda.

He took out a case of cigarettes from his pocket, taking out two sticks, placing one on his mouth and offering the other to Issei.

"I didn't know you smoked." Issei said accusingly, taking it and looking at it critically.

"I used to, years ago." He looked at Issei expectantly, eyes flicking to the cigarette in his lips. Issei sighed, before holding his hands out, shaping his magic, a small flame dancing to life on his fingertips. "Not anymore though."

His dad grinned, lighting it and taking an experimental puff. He closed his eyes in bliss, taking it away from his lips and breathing out a cloud of ash.

"You'd be surprised at how much you miss things like this." He said conversationally. "You know it's bad for your health, but it's just...Don't tell your mom this, but did you know I was a _serious_ alcoholic during college?"

"Woah, really?" Issei blinked, leaning forward in interest, rolling the unlit cigarette between his fingers.

"Yeah. Almost every night my friends and I would go bar hopping, even during the night before exams. To this day, I have no idea how I actually passed university." He mentioned ruefully. "Still, I quit doing that when I got my first girlfriend, stopped being a complete drunk, though I picked up smoking from her. Not sure which is worse really." He flicked the ends of the stick, throwing away the burnt ends. "Did your mother ever tell you how we met?"

Issei shook his head.

"Ah, well, it's nothing really. My friends and I, we were all smoking behind the school, skipping class really, when this absolutely _gorgeous_ lady comes up to us and begins to tell us off. 'We're being irresponsible' 'We're wasting our parent's money' and that 'smoking is bad for our health' all that. Then she just sorta glared at us before walking away."

The sound of the cigarette's end being burnt away was all that was between them when Kuzuki stopped to inhale its contents.

"So my buddies were all laughing, they didn't really know what to do. We were all idiots back then, we didn't really know how to treat women. They all just wrote her off as some bimbo that was butting in on our guy time."

"But you didn't." Issei smiled.

"I didn't," Hyoudou Kuzuki agreed. "It was, dammit it's cheesy when I say it but it was love at first sight you know? So I immediately threw away my cigar and chased after her. My friends went nuts, laughing about how I was being controlled by my own hormones, that if I really was that desperate to get laid, I should go to a bar or to the red light district or something." Kuzuki grinned. "When I first talked to her, it was just...wow. Karin's face just scrunched up and told me 'you stink of tobacco' before marching off. That was the day I quit."

"Seriously? All for a girl?" Issei's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Not _just_ a girl Issei, but my wife." Kuzuki reminded him lightly. "I still remember thinking that, looking at her and telling myself, 'that girl will be the mother of my children'. It took me a whole year of convincing, I quit smoking for her, I began to actually show up to my classes, we had three of them together during our stay there, and began to be an actual adult." He laughed. "My friends, all of them were just floored when Hyoudou Kuzuki, the idiot who thinks with his dick, began to wisen up just for a girl. They quit smoking and drinking around the time your mother and I had our… I think it was our fifth date, our first time going out of Saitama together, when all of them saw that it wasn't just a passing phase, that I really was serious about her." Kuzuki held up the box of cigarettes, shaking it lightly. "I bought a pack of these every week for the past twenty-four years I've been with your mother Issei. This is what led to me meeting my wife, the love of my life. This is what made me into the man I am today."

Issei met his father's amused eyes. "It's okay if you don't smoke though. I'd be a hypocrite if I told someone off for smoking, but my advice?" He ground the still burning edge of the cigarette onto the metal railing. "It's okay every once in a while."

Issei stared down at the white and brown stick before sighing, lifting it up to his lips and igniting it with a flame from his finger. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs up before blowing it back out.

"I'm proud of you Issei, I really am," His father stood up, looking down at him, eyes shining brightly. "You've grown to be such a fine young man. Your mom and I are very, very lucky to have you as our son."

Issei rubbed at his eyes, tearing up from the smoke coming from the cigarette, and because of the effects of the tobacco, said in a quiet and hoarse voice. "Thanks dad."

"Still, magic," He shook his head ruefully. "I never expected _that_ of all things. You looked really cool though."

Issei leaned against the wall, holding his arm out, and a complex mathematical circle appeared, its shape appearing infinitely within itself, spiraling from the top counterclockwise towards its midpoint. He took a few seconds to just admire the piece, not even pushing enough energy to activate the shield, but to just observe how it seemed to pulse with life, how it seemed to come alive in his hands.

"It's...it's the only thing I'm really good at." Issei admitted, staring at his work, transfixed. "And I just really love doing this."

"Even if you get beat up like last night?"

Issei paused, tilting his head to look up, remembering all the pain he's experienced since learning about the supernatural, the multitude of broken bones, the cuts, scrapes and bruises, all the near-misses with death.

Then he thought back to the completely beautiful art of magic, the sheer joy and exhilaration of the act, the comforting aches of the body after sitting for hours in the same position just to learn about a single magical theory. Magic, the only thing he's ever delved into that made him into a better version of himself. Someone who wasn't a burden. Someone who could actually _be_ someone, not just a burden for others…

"Yeah," Issei smiled, closing his hands in a fist in front of him, "Magic is the best."

Kuzuki clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you finally found something that makes you happy then. Now let's go back down before your mom decides to adopt Arianna-san without my consent."

()()()()()()()()()

As Issei passed by the gates of Kuoh Academy, he couldn't help but notice the atmosphere that clung to the grounds, or rather, the lack thereof.

For the place where war was all but declared, it was ridiculously peaceful. The students of Kuoh all milled around like usual.

Then again, none of them really knew what happened in the place, that people had nearly _died_ in the very courtyard most of them stood in.

Ignorance is bliss, he guessed.

"That's a strange look for you Hyoudou." A voice commented beside him.

Issei turned slowly to look at Aika Kiryuu, one of several classmates that had asked him for help in math during the times where they had a free study period.

"Usually you're so excited and everything. Can't say the moody look doesn't suit you though," She joked.

"I wasn't being moody," Issei frowned, looking up at the main building of the school again. There was no evidence of the previous night's events ever taking place. There wasn't even any more magical energy around the school than usual.

"Sure you weren't," Kiryuu drawled, moving to stand beside him. She looked at him before following his gaze. "What's got _you_ all stressed out? Didn't manage to get off this morning? Actually, why are you even here? School's over." Kiryuu made a show of looking closely at what Issei was staring at, even squinting and covering her eyes from the sun.

"I have to deal with some things here," Issei muttered. His fingers began to itch, and he resisted the instinct to reach up and turn off his choker. Instead he took a deep breath and began to walk towards the student council room with confident steps.

The air in the Student Council Room, in sharp contrast to the rest of the entire school. What really surprised Issei however, was Diodora Astaroth's presence, tense and tight-lipped.

As he entered through the door, the male devil's lips thinned even further, and though Sona didn't actually say anything, Issei felt that his presence wasn't exactly all that appreciated in that particular time.

Sona's peerage greeted him, but it was a weak thing, barely a smile and a wave between all of them before letting the oppressive atmosphere back in.

"Hyoudou-kun," Even though all that though, Sona nodded his greetings at him, even if he saw that she was on edge, her usual composure frayed. "It's quite a relief to see that you are, perhaps not uninjured, but well enough."

Issei unconsciously reached for his forearm, rubbing at the scar that he felt even through the clothes he was wearing.

"Could have been worse," He muttered in response. "How's Rias-senpai?"

Sona pursed her lips and she slowly took off her glasses, rubbing at her forehead. Tsubaki approached Issei with a tray, a cup of tea on top of it. Issei made to refuse, but one look at the Queen's expression, of someone looking to the comfort of routine made him change his mind, instead accepting the cup with a quiet 'thank you.'

"Rias is… she's alive, with your quick actions," Sona grimaced, and she grabbed the can of coffee on top of her table, draining its remaining contents with a single swig. "But her arm couldn't be reattached. Ajuka-sama created a prosthetic for her, but...I believe that she would appreciate it if you do not approach her for the next few days Hyoudou-kun. She has a considerable pride in her, and she would not want to let anyone see her weakness for now. She will get used to it with time, of course, but right now…" From the way Sona bit at her thumb, something Issei has never seen the president do ever, she probably wasn't quite sure about that either.

"What does it matter?" Diodora spat, standing up and pacing around the room, restless. "Rias fucking Gremory, the sister of a Maou, was injured in combat against a Norse God, and devilkind does _nothing_ against it? The biggest event for the Three Factions in living memory, and Sirzechs Lucifer, _the_ single devil who embodies the entirety of our race more than anyone else, wasn't even present?" Diodora growled, and he slammed his fist against the nearby wall, hairline cracks spreading out.

"Diodora!" Sona snapped, but Diodora took no notice.

"The entire Underworld is in chaos, and you know it," The princely-looking devil said softly. "None of this will matter if our home is destroyed. We have enemies in front of us and more at our back, just waiting to bury the dagger into our hearts at the first sign of weakness."

"Diodora!" Sona repeated, eyes flicking over to Issei who suddenly felt way out of his league. " Please stop from making baseless speculations in the company of others."

"We have never been this close to extermination since the last war Sitri," Diodora all but screamed, and Issei _heard_ the panic in his voice. "The Great War all but reignited, civil unrest close to boiling over, and the fucking Khao-" He cut himself off abruptly, swearing up a storm, whirling to smash his fist against the wall.

A circle intercepted him half an inch before making contact, the end of Issei's cane pointed towards Diodora.

"Destroying school property isn't exactly going to help things," Issei said, voice firm.

Diodora snarled, stalking towards Issei until they stood face to face. The other occupants of the room stood in alarm, but Issei just looked him straight in the eye.

Diodora didn't scare him, not a single bit. After being faced with death several times the past few months, someone like Diodora didn't even faze him anymore.

Still...it wasn't like he had anything to say about the matter. He wasn't exactly all that politically savvy.

Or all that invested in Diodora really. He had no stake in this fight. Realizing that, Issei simply sighed and backed down. He wasn't worth getting worked up over.

Seeing him, Diodora's anger deflated and he all but collapsed on a nearby chair. "There's a chance that this place would be abandoned by devils if shit really hits the fan." Diodora sighed, setting the back of his head against the wall. "While I don't really care much about this town, Kuoh is a place that we devils defended to the _death_ during the Great War. Leaving it without a devil caretaker _will_ be taken as a sign of weakness, and I do not think we can afford that." Diodora bit his lips, suddenly looking so uncertain, so hesitant, that he looked almost like a simple teenage boy. "I don't know what's going to happen Sitri," He said softly. "I don't like not being in control."

Before their eyes, Diodora composed himself back to his meek, regal expression. "I...I believe I have intruded upon you for far too long Sona Sitri-san. I apologize, and I must get going now. I still have some work to do," With a smile far too perfect to be genuine, he waved goodbye.

As he turned away though, Issei swore he saw his lips trembling.

"Sorry about that Hyoudou-kun," Sona said quietly. "All of us here...well, we're all having problems right now, even more so with something like this," She flicked an opened envelope across the table towards Issei.

He picked it up, unfurling the letter inside it, turning off his choker and reading the contents.

"Kuoh Town will officially host three envoys from both Heaven and the Grigori," Sona explained with a somewhat sardonic voice. "They say that it's a way to keep peace between all of us, that it would foster inter-factionary relations. That's what it officially says on the note. Of course, the reality is that this is simply a way to keep an eye on us, the biggest congregation of high-priority devils on earth, in a place we ourselves see as important, whether culturally, historically, or strategically."

"Well then," Issei laid the envelope back on the table. "That sucks."

"Yes it does," Sona agreed. "But it could be worse I suppose. The hostilities have not officially restarted, but it might only be a matter of time before it all comes crashing down." Sona shivered. "I hope that it does not come to that again, that peace between all of us will happen again.."

"Do you think there's a chance of peace between you all?" Issei asked. "I mean, is there a chance that this thing really _is_ to try and keep peace between all of you?"

"Yes," Sona said quietly. "The higher ups of all three Factions desire peace. If they could only get the ones below them to follow with their vision, even just half of them, then peace _will_ happen in our lifetime. I'm _sure_ of it."

"But what about the Underworld? Aren't they in a civil war?"

Sona pursed her lips. "Hyoudou-kun, Sirzechs-sama and Ajuka-sama are _the_ most powerful devils that have ever existed bar Satan himself. If conflict were to break out between our people, and I dearly hope that it does not come to that, but if it does, then calling it a war would be far too generous. The two of them will annihilate the opposition. In our last civil war, the two of them only stopped to talk peace between the opposite party was because of the love they held for devils, and their wish to prevent meaningless deaths. But if this civil war was to threaten the existence of our race, then I have no doubt that the four Satans, Leviathan-sama, Lucifer-sama, Beelzebub-sama and Asmodeus-sama will do what they have to do to preserve us all, even if it means killing the dissenters." Sona shook her head. "This is going to be a very rocky next few years, for all of us. I'm sorry if I may sound rude Hyoudou-kun, but could you please leave us for the next few days? The envoys to the other factions are slated to come here within the next month, and I need time to prepare."

"Uh yeah," Issei nodded in understanding. "Just... Kaichou, if you need my help, I'm always open."

"Thank you for the offer," Sona smiled, a tired but genuine gesture. "I appreciate that. If you have the time, visit Rias." She hesitated. "Don't show her pity. She does not care for that kind of thing."

"Yeah," Issei agreed. "Well, see you guys later."

Issei exited the room, mind already a cyclone of thoughts.

Placing people from the Three Factions, factions that are at war, and hoping that they play nice and don't kill each other wasn't exactly the best idea Issei's ever heard. Downright stupid really. Then again, who was he to judge? He didn't exactly know anything about politics.

He shook his head, knocking on the Occult Research Club's clubroom.

He frowned up at the large and (supposedly) dilapidated building, wondering how the hell Rias managed to snag an entire building for their club activities. Sona had a larger peerage than she did, and the student council room wasn't nearly as large as the building. Hell, the first floor of the "clubroom" had more floor area than almost the entirety of Issei's house. Who needed _that_ much space for anything?

He never really understood how rich people worked.

Still, Issei entered the room slowly, peeking his head in before going in completely, waving a greeting at all of the people in the room. "Hey."

"Hello Issei-kun," Rias smiled back tiredly, exhaustion obvious from her body language, from the way she was slightly slumped over, to the slightly glassy look in her eyes, to the almost invisible unruliness of her usually immaculate hair. "Please, take a seat. Akeno, give him some tea please."

The graceful Queen bowed to her, taking the teapot on top of the table, placing some on one of the dainty little teacups, and handing it to Issei with a gentle smile that made his heart skip a beat, before sitting back besides her King.

Koneko and Kiba sat directly in front of them, the white-haired middle-schooler munching on some yokan as usual, the blond reading a hardbound novel. The latter looked up to give Issei a refreshing smile while the former simply glanced at him, gave him a nod, and then returned to her snack.

Issei sat on the nearest available chair, the one nearest to the red-haired club president, gaze being attracted to her as he did.

She saw him stare at her left hand, the one that was carrying a cup of tea, and her smile turned somewhat bitter. "A gift from Beelzebub-sama," She explained for his benefit, setting down her drink to show it off to Issei, wiggling her fingers. "It's...weird," She confessed, staring at the limb. "It works almost exactly the same as my real one of course, this one's nearly perfect even. I can barely even tell that it's not my own," Rias sighed, setting it down, clasping her hands on the table. "But I _know_ it's not. If I don't even focus on it, I can't even tell it's a fake." Rias groaned, a rare enough sight as she usually composed herself just as much as Sona, if not more so.

"Is it giving you problems?" Issei asked curiously, hoping that he didn't manage to offend her or anything.

Rias shook her head, and there was an air of frustration in the action. "No. There really isn't any problem at all. It's just...I'm getting annoyed that there's nothing to be annoyed about. Do I make sense Issei?"

"Not really," Issei said apologetically, and he could see that Kiba, Koneko and even Akeno looked like they didn't understand either. He reached forward, stopping just a few inches before Rias' hand. "May I?"

Rias nodded somewhat jerkily, offering her left hand to Issei, turning her body to face him.

Issei's fingers danced on top of Rias forearm, feeling nothing but warm, smooth flesh. He felt Rias shiver through his fingers, and he closed his hand around her wrists, using his magic to reach inside of her, prodding her gently to look for whatever Beelzebub did to create it, to see if he placed any other spells in the replacement.

Goosebumps rose on Rias' arm, standing up beneath Issei's skin.

Issei saw Akeno raise her eyebrows, Kiba closing his book, and Koneko stop her eating to stare at the two of them.

Feeling their gazes, Issei shifted uncomfortably and said, "I'm not doing anything to her," defending himself from anything they'd say.

"Of course," Akeno hid her smile behind one elegant hand, "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything Issei-kun. I'm sorry if I seemed to be doing so,"

"Sorry," Issei said to Rias, still feeling her arm, "If I was just a bit faster then I could have-"

"Issei-kun," Rias said chidingly, still sounding bitter but with a hint of sardonic amusement in her voice. "It isn't your fault. If anything, it's _my_ fault that I ended up like this. If I was only a bit stronger, then I wouldn't have had to end up in such an embarrassing position."

"Still," Issei sighed. "I don't like seeing you like that," He confessed, "The Rias-senpai I know shouldn't be making faces like that. Rias-senpai should always be Rias-senpai, because the usual you is the best," Issei smiled at her, trying to convey as much of his genuine feelings to her as possible.

"W-well, if my cute little Kouhai says something like that, then how can I resist?" Rias smiled back, a hit of red dusting her cheeks.

Issei let go of Rias hand whose fingers lingered on Issei's own for maybe half a second too long, before drawing it back to her side. He leaned back, fiddling with his cane. The limb _felt_ like a normal arm, with skin, blood vessels, and all other important biological functions associated with them, but it still felt _off_ for some strange reason.

He stared at the arm, narrowing his eyes at it.

 _It felt so soft underneath his fingers, smooth, irresistible. He could have spent his entire day stroking-_

Issei flushed, trying to purge that particular memory from his mind. He didn't need any distractions dammit, even if being able to be this close to Rias Gremory _was_ one of the more pleasant advantages to knowing about the truth of the supernatural.

He doggedly avoided Rias' eyes, instead turning his gaze down to the ground, doing several complex mathematical formulae in his head to try and get rid of the thoughts he had in his brain.

Rias was someone he considered a friend, he shouldn't think about her like that.

Instead he asked her about her plans for the next months, about what she planned for the visiting envoys of both the Angels and the Fallen Angels.

Rias sighed heavily, looking out at the window. "I don't really know," She answered him, "The note reached all of us just hours ago. I'll have to discuss with both Sona and Diodora on how we will deal with this. We have a few weeks yet to plan, and we will spend that time in the Underworld, preparing for this. "

"What do you think will happen?" Issei asked.

Rias pursed her lips, looking out at the window. "I...don't know Issei-kun. No one does. It's why this is such a big deal, and why all Three Factions are scared to make a move right now. Something...I don't think anything this big has happened in the past century."

()()()()()()()()()

The bell signaling the end of the school day rang, and Issei gathered up his things, snatching his cane from where it lay on the side of his desk.

"See you guys," He waved to Matsuda and Motohama who were still on their chairs, the two of them bringing out their consoles.

"The Student Council need you again?" His bald friend asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Nah," Issei shook his head, "I have someplace to be today."

"A date?"

Before Issei could even answer, the two of them burst out laughing, bending over their desks.

"As if Issei has the guts to ever confess to anyone," Motohama gasped, wiping a tear from under his glasses.

"No normal girl would ever ask _him_ out." Matsuda replied, shoulders shaking with mirth.

"Ha ha," Issei sounded out flatly, "Anyways, I seriously have to go,"

"Yeah yeah, good luck with your date," Motohama chortled, fixing his gaze back to his screen. "Are you gonna play later this night?"

"Depends. I'll just message you guys if I can make it," Issei began to make his way down, managing to exit the school without any other trouble, meeting up with Arianna who was leaning next to the wall of Kuoh's gate.

"Master!" She greeted him with a wide grin, pushing off and approaching him eagerly. "Thank you for taking the time to help me!"

"No problem," Issei replied, "Besides, my mom would kill me if I refused."

Arianna blushed, looking down at her feet, "I-is it really okay for me to stay with you though? I mean, you barely even know me, and I'm probably just bothering you even though your mom was so nice to me…"

Issei hummed noncommittally, "If my mom makes a decision, then my family really can't do anything about it." Issei glanced sideways at the fidgeting black-haired girl beside him. "Don't worry," Issei tried to reassure her, "I'm pretty sure that my mom just _loves_ you, so I think it's okay for you to stay. It's her idea anyways."

"Still, even forcing you to carry all my stuff back to your house, I feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness."

"It's okay," Issei tilted his head up. "I don't really mind."

They entered a pretty well-kept, if old, inn, a place that Issei honestly didn't know existed in Kuoh town, Arianna saying her greetings to the receptionist.

The room she was staying at was sparse, a little smaller than Issei's own, and with nothing but a rolled up futon laid to the side, a desk with a lamp on its surface, a chair, two closets, and Arianna's belongings, two duffel bags, and a wheeled luggage bag.

Of course, the contents of those bags were strewn all haphazardly about the room, several articles of clothing hanging in every surface of the room.

"I'm sorry for this," Arianna flushed, moving through the room quickly, grabbing the nearest things in reach and stuffing them down her bags. "It's just, I woke up late so I had to run quickly so I could go to your house on time then I forgot that I haven't showered yet so I had to shower but my clothes became wet so I-"

Issei sighed, and swung his arm lazily through the air, a magic circle overlaying his hand.. Her clothes began to float, folding themselves neatly. Arianna's bags opened by themselves, and the clothes all organized themselves inside them.

Arianna turned towards him, eyes wide.

"Wind magic," Issei explained. "Pretty simple once you get the hang of it. The most troublesome parts of it is controlling the power of the current, but after that it's a breeze."

He summoned another circle underneath the bags, making them light up and then disappear, the bags melting through the circle.

"Teach me how to do that," Arianna's eyes glittered, the shrunken book that hung on her neck getting brighter.

"You're getting too excited," Issei pointed out. "The grimoire's lighting up like crazy."

"O-oh. Sorry," Arianna apologized, frowning at it, "This doesn't usually happen."

Issei filed that particular tidbit away in his mind. He instead stretched, moving to go outside the room, waving to the receptionist as he passed, Arianna already having checked out of the room. "Well, I'm hungry. Wanna pass by a cafe or something? My treat."

"I want pancakes!"

"Already demanding stuff from me? That's cheeky." Issei grinned, before turning thoughtful. "What happened to all that 'Master' business you had going on?" Not like he liked it. It was actually pretty weird

"I-I'm not like that!" Arianna protested, cheeks flushing red. "M-Master." She added lamely

"Don't call me that," Issei said. "Call me Issei. Master sounds so _weird_ when you hear someone calling you that."

"I-Issei...san, then."

He frowned, "Issei-san makes me feel kinda old," He muttered. He blinked. "Is it normal to feel that when I'm just sixteen?" He wondered out loud.

"Let's eat to make you forget," Arianna said slyly.

"All right, all right," Issei rolled his eyes at her. "Pancakes it is."

"Thank you Issei-nii!" She cried out, hugging him and whooping exuberantly. "You're the best."

Issei, unused to displays of affection like this, froze, not knowing what to do. He felt Arianna stiffen and slowly drew back, cheeks aflame. "U-um, sorry about that," She stammered. "It's just, I always wanted an older brother like you, and um, I, what I did was very inappropriate wasn't it?" She ducked her head low, dragging her feet across the ground.

Issei smiled down at her, laying a hand on the top of her head. "I don't mind," Issei said, "A lot better than 'master' anyways."

Issei suddenly blinked, tracing the edges of his choker. What was the italian equivalent of 'nii-san' anyways? It was getting annoying, having to see the numbers just so they could understand each other. And based on what he saw in the morning, his mother really, _really_ wanted to be able to talk to Arianna as well.

"Hey, Arianna," He called out to her. "Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to the one who taught me about magic." Initially, he wanted to introduce her to Sona, but seeing as she was busy, then Asama works just as well.

Asama was...lonely, really. For all her power, she didn't really step out of her shrine, for reasons Issei never really asked. Having another person to talk to would be a big thing for her.

Besides, Issei glanced over at Arianna. He really didn't know where to start with teaching someone else other than throwing beginner books at her and hoping she understands what's going on. That's how _he_ learned most of the things he knew, but somehow, Issei didn't think that was pretty normal.

"Let's eat here!" Arianna pointed excitedly at a cafe, already going inside and seating herself in a booth.

He shrugged, sitting across her, laying his cane on the table side. "I want these!" Abruptly, the menu was shoved into his face, her finger hovering over one particular item on it.

"Don't tell it to _me._ " Issei shoved it away from his face. "Order it,"

"I will!"

Issei's head snapped up, eyes narrowing at the suit-clad woman that was just beginning to enter the cafe. Arianna seemed to have noticed what he was doing, and curled in on herself on the corner of the booth, making a show of looking over the menu.

The sheer magical weight the woman carried with her was enormous, larger than Issei's own. Issei shifted, hands closing around his cane, his magical focus, and the Boosted Gear was a mere thought away from summoning.

The woman nodded upon meeting his eyes, walking briskly towards their table. "Good afternoon Issei-san. Would this be a bad time for you?"

If this was an attack, then it was a pretty pleasant one so far. Issei cautiously let go of his cane, but the Boosted Gear was never far from his mind, laying his hands down on the table. He nodded, never really taking his eyes off the woman.

"May I?" She gestured towards Arianna's side of the booth. At his nod, she slid into it, clasping her hands in front of her. "Before anything else, let me introduce myself. My name is Agata Sibilia, the right hand of Malina Sokolovski." She paused, obviously expecting something from Issei.

Arianna choked on her water, while Issei, not having any idea on who she was, just blinked at her, giving the woman a once-over, trying to recall if he's heard of anyone like her.

Platinum blonde hair that was more platinum than blonde, cut close to her scalp. Grey eyes staring from beneath aristocratic features, high cheekbones, a slightly more square-ish jaw than most women but still easy enough on the eyes. A pale scar, nearly invisible, showed, a long but shallow thing that spread from the middle of cheek to her neck. A sharp business suit, complete with black leather gloves and a pinstriped jacket, hid her figure from Issei's eyes.

None of it rang a bell. He didn't know _anyone_ that looked like her, or even resembled her.

After the silence began to be awkward, Agata coughed delicately. "Seeing as this was an unannounced visit, which is quite rude of me I recognize, I do not wish to take up any more of your time, so if you please allow me to be brief. I would like to express Rosenkreuzer's greetings towards you, Issei Hyoudou, and to extend our invitation for you to join our cabal as a Senior Member, with all the benefits it entails," and to Issei's shock, Agata crafted a circle on the table right in front of Issei, summoning an envelope in front of him. Before his eyes, the envelope opened itself, a small sheaf of papers stapled together showing itself to Issei.

Issei frowned, looking around the cafe, confirming his suspicions. Even after such an overt display of magic, no one in the cafe even looked twice at them. "A veil," Issei muttered. Agata tipped her head to Issei, but there was a challenge in her eyes. Issei's lips twitched. "Anchored on the lighting directly above us," He said, motioning upwards. "You created it the exact same time you summoned the transportation circle. It bends the light around us, and only us, maybe six, seven feet in a circle around us, making it look like there's nothing wrong going on," Issei frowned, looking around, 'cheating' by using the numbers, seeing that the movement of sound was slightly muted, slowed down and transmuted as it traveled further out. "You also distorted the sound, so no one here can probably even hear what we're really talking about. Maybe even something that encourages people to look away and not notice us."

"Not many would pick that up so quickly," Agata's eyes lit up, leaning back in satisfaction, Arianna at her side making herself even smaller, eyes wide, mouth open at Issei's direction. "And I quite believed that the distortion of sound was a subtle touch. I was right to ask you,"

She nodded, as if making up her mind. "Do you accept? The perks of joining the cabal, especially as a senior member, is not insubstantial. You will be paid, of course, as befits your rank, and you can enlist in all courses available to every one of our members as well all free of charge. Of course, as a senior member, you will be required to complete several tasks a month. Nothing major of course," Agata hurried to assure him. "But you will be asked to teach several classes in the institute, if only as just a part time."

Agata smiled, showing a flash of pearly white teeth. "What say you, Issei Hyoudou?"

Issei finished glancing through the contract. From what he's read, it basically outlined all of his duties as a member of Rosenkreuzer, as well as what the perks he's to receive upon accepting.

He sighed, laying it down on the table, and gently pushing it towards the woman, "Sorry Agata-san," He said, actually meaning it. "But I must refuse,"

"I see," Agata looked disappointed, but she didn't take the papers, instead letting it lie between them. "I must say that that is unfortunate. If I may ask, why do you refuse our offer so? This is not an offer that is usually extended. Most members dedicate decades of their lives in order to achieve seniority, and you must admit that it is a very good proposition. You could reach heights you did not expect with our resources at your beck and call."

"Agata-san," Issei exhaled through his nose, "in all honesty, I just entered the world of the supernatural. Magic, devils and angels and fallen, youkai and all that. I just, well, I know it's childish of me, but I just wanna explore the world that I thought I knew without anything tying me down."

That, and there was an irrational part of Issei, that was telling him to not accept, telling him that if he were to accept the offer, then he would never truly reach his potential. That he will stagnate, and that ultimately, he will never truly be _him_ if he just accepted their offer.

"Of course, thank you for answering," Agata nodded towards Issei, "Thank you for sating my curiosity," She took a business card from her front coat pocket, handing it to Issei.

 _'_ _Rosenkreuzer. Agata Sibilia_ ' it said in gold, flowing script, with several contact numbers listed underneath, "If at any point you change your mind, you can contact us and we will accept you with open arms." She paused for a second before taking out another card, handing it to Arianna who took it with trembling hands. "You too, of course. We aren't ones to push away any talents, even minor ones. With enough guidance and time, even those modest talents become formidable enough. But we aren't just a magical cabal. We are also sellers of information and services, the rates of which depend on the nature of what you want to know, and what you want done. We make it our business to know things," She glanced meaningfully at his left hand.

Issei nodded, before a thought occurred to him, "Last night, I was attacked by an assassin. He used guns, and he did something...I really don't know, but he took away my magic for a while. Do you know any people that does that? And why would they want to kill me?"

Agata's lips puckered in distaste. "Golden Dawn. Only they would do something like that. In the beginning they were a circle much like ours, devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. But sometime in the past century, after MacGregor Mathers left their brotherhood, the order become corrupt, polluted. Their leadership began a civil war, and they all killed each other with the survivor leading the order, locking himself from view. To this day, we have no idea which one it was that survived. We only know that Golden Dawn is a dangerous cabal, one that seeks to end those with strong magical potential before they become any more powerful." She laughed bitterly, "I was one such victim." Agata's eyes locked onto Issei's own. "Be careful of them Issei-san. I was on the run from them for a two whole years before my induction to Rosenkreuzer stopped their attempts on my life. They may not be the most powerful magical group in the world, but they are certainly the most ruthless.

As far as I know, they use a mix of alchemy, magic, and dabbles of metaphysics to their advantage, and they do not shy away from modern killing methods as you have experienced. I truly wish you luck in all of your future encounters with them. Just know that all you need to do is call us and we will gladly welcome you in our fold." Agata took out a wad of Japanese bills from her pocket and laid it down on the table. "Have a pleasant lunch." She tipped her head at Issei and Arianna, leaving the store.

Almost immediately after she left, the waitress came, laying down food and drinks for them both. She collected the bills, and hurried back to the counter with a slightly glazed look to her eyes.

Hypnosis. Issei frowned, sipping at his coffee, glancing down at the business card.

Rosenkreuzer huh.

"Issei-nii, did you-"

"Woah, Hyoudou?"

Aika Kiryuu came into view, looking slyly between Issei and Arianna, actually breaking off her group a couple of tables over to talk to them.

"You're actually on a date? I mean, that's good and all, but she looks like she's in middle school! I thought you were into tits man. Are you _that_ desperate?"

"I can explain," Issei promised, not actually having any idea on how to do that. Dammit maybe he should have asked Agata to keep the veil. He didn't expect to be seen by anyone in his school dammit! "I swear that I'm not a lolicon."

()()()()()()()()()

"Hey Mom, Dad, I'm taking Arianna out again later today," He said when they were all eating breakfast, Arianna finally settling on their guest bedroom that his mom promptly labeled as Arianna's.

"Oh? Already taking your new little sister out on dates?" His mom squealed. "Oh you two are so adorable! We're like family already!"

Arianna, not understanding Japanese, just nodded brightly when his mother beamed at the two of them.

Issei rolled his eyes. "I'm taking her to Asama-nee," He chewed on a bit of beef. "I'm pretty sure that she knows a translation spell or two. If she places it on Arianna, then she might be able to finally talk to-" He got no further as his mother lunged across the table, grabbing Issei by his shirt, forcing him on his toes, nose inches away from her own.

" **Do. It. Now."** With every word, she shook Issei by his shirt, a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"I'll take her after breakfast," Issei gulped. No way he was arguing with _that_.

" **Now**."

"Let's go Arianna," Issei called for his cane, the focus leaping to his hand, wiping his mouth with a napkin, moving a bit faster than normal. "Time to meet Asama-nee!"

"Yes Issei-nii," Arianna leapt to her feet, walking by Issei's side. Issei was of pretty average height for his age, but Arianna was _short_. She barely stood at Issei's shoulder, looking like a kid. Damn, what age was she again? He never really got the answer.

"They're so cute like that," His mother crooned to his father from behind the two of them. "Oh, I want to take a picture of them!"

"Later dear," His father sighed a fond sigh. "I just hope that this Asama knows how to make Arianna be able to speak Japanese. Arianna would make a _wonderful_ daughter I'm sure. She just _adores_ Issei." Issei heard a sob. "This is finally our time, kaa-san. We've been wanting this for a long time, and now it's finally…"

Issei shut the door behind the two of them, leading the way for Arianna.

"Hey, hey, where are we going?" The girl eagerly tugged at his clothes, "Are you finally gonna show me some magic?"

"Yeah," Issei confirmed for her, "But before everything else, do you know how to use a translation spell?"

"Well...no," She ducked her head, hiding her eyes. "The only spell I know how to use is the one I showed you last night. Why? Is that important?"

"Well, yeah," Issei scratched at his head. "Being able to understand what everyone is saying _is_ pretty important." Now that he thought about it, maybe he should learn a translation spell as well. Though he was sorta used to it, it was still pretty irritating to be bombarded with numbers all the time when there was an alternative that was less annoying.

"It's just up there," He pointed to the almost-mountain where Asama's shrine was located, a few hundred meters away from their current position. Still, the mountain was high enough that it was easily visible from where they were, especially in a residential area where relatively few buildings were more than a few stories tall.

"What's up there?" Arianna squinted at the place, looking for anything important.

Issei knew for a fact that she won't find it. There seemed to be a veil around Asama's shrine that hid it from view that only lost effect once you were at the very foot of the mountain itself.

"Oh, a friend of mine," Issei grinned. "She's like an older sister to me, but a _lot_ smarter than I am. I'm pretty sure she can help you with this particular problem."

"If she's someone you respect, then I'll be sure to behave!" Arianna nodded seriously, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't worry, she's pretty cool about stuff like this," As Issei passed the torii, the familiar sense of magic 'washing' over him like a gentle breeze there to greet him, he saw Asama at her usual place in front of her shrine, sweeping the grounds clean of dirt and dust and fallen debris.

She wiped at her forehead, though Issei knew that was more of a formality than anything. He's never actually seen her sweat. Issei paused in his thinking. Did...did she even bathe? Hell, did she even _need_ to? She always smelled nice, like lavenders, but Issei wasn't sure if that was because of her natural scent or if it was the soap she uses. Dammit what was he even thinking about.

"Hello Issei-kun," She smiled at him, oblivious to his inner conflict, "And who is this?" She asked, tilting her head curiously to the side, hair slightly falling to frame her face perfectly, exposing the smooth expanse of her neck.

Issei gulped, bringing up several mathematical formulae to distract him from that particular thought.

"A-Arianna," he stuttered out. He cleared his throat, continuing, "She's...well, she's kinda like a little sister...I guess?"

"H-hello," The girl greeted, hands clenched on her blouse, "I-I'm Arianna Bianchi, n-nice to meet you!"

"Oh, she's just adorable," Asama cooed, clutching her broom close to her chest. "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen." She mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Chin up," Asama chided gently, lifting Arianna's chin with one delicate hand. "Always keep your chin up dear. You have beautiful eyes," she smiled. "Issei-kun, not that I dislike having her over, but what exactly is Arianna-chan doing here?"

"Uh, Asama-nee, do you know of any way for her to be able to speak Japanese?" He scratched at the back of his neck. "I… don't really know of a spell like that, hahaha." He laughed sheepishly.

"I actually don't know of one either," Asama laughed. "But I do have a way of transcribing knowledge of Japanese into another person." She toed off her sandals, entering her shrine, beckoning for the two of them to come in.

"Really? That'd be enough, really. That's great!" Issei grinned, following the shrine maiden immediately. After a short moment of hesitation, Arianna did the same.

"The method I _do_ know of is…well, it's not exactly common for a reason." Asama hovered over the platformed altar in her shrine, picking over the various trinkets in there. "Where did I, oh yes," She walked over back to them, a small clay jar in her hands. "The worshippers of the White Christ has those tongues of fire that grants them knowledge, those of the Tuatha de Dannan place upon the tongues of their people the scales of Bradan Feasa so that they gain wisdom and comprehension of languages, but _we_ of the Land of the Rising Sun used this," She shook the small jar in her hands, and Issei heard a swishing sound from it. He blinked at it, reaching for it. Asama allowed him to take hold of it, blushing pink for some reason. "That's kuchikamizake, one I personally prepared a long time ago."

" _Kuchi_?" Issei frowned at it before understanding set in. He began to blush, stammering, "Y-y-you, this- this came from your _mouth!?_ "

"Issei-kun!" She snapped, flushing a bright crimson. "K-kuchikamizake is an old and sacred tradition of Japan! It has successfully allowed our people to be able to come to an agreement between those who speak different tongues from ou- stop looking at it that way Issei-kun!" She snatched the jar from his hands, cradling it close to her chest.

Issei coughed, trying to get back on track. "S-so Arianna only has to drink this and she'll be able to understand?"

"Essentially? Yes," Asama nodded. Her eyes furrowed. "Though the drink itself is quite strong, and I believe it would take a few minutes for the effects to take hold." Asama untied the string holding the jar close, and Issei _felt_ the subtle power that had gathered around it disperse, power that Issei couldn't believe he actually missed it. Asama took a small saucer from somewhere, pouring a small amount of the liquid into it. "Here, Arianna-chan, drink." Using two hands, Asama handed the thirteen year old girl the alcohol.

She took it uncertainly before scrunching up her eyebrows and downing it all in one shot. She coughed and hacked as it went down, but managed to not throw it all up. She grimaced as she swallowed, sticking her tongue out in distaste. "Eugh. It's too sour,"

Issei reached up, clicking off his choker, the pleasure of finally seeing things normally almost overwhelming. While he may have gotten used to it, it didn't mean he _liked_ seeing everything in numbers.

Arianna began to complain in Italian, and while Asama humored her with an easy smile, Issei frowned as he tried to understand.

"-don't get how old people drink this!" She cried out, in perfect, unaccented Japanese. Issei grinned widely. Asama-nee always pulled through. "it's so gross!"

"Congrats on finally speaking the language." He said cheerfully. "Mom will be so happy about this."

Arianna blinked looking up at him suspiciously. "You mean it worked? I can't tell if it worked."

"It did." Issei shrugged. "But enough about that. Asama-nee, while we're here, could you take a look at Arianna's grimoire?" He nodded towards the small booklet that hung on a chain around Arianna's neck. "It's pretty strong I think, but I can't tell how it works. "

"A grimoire," Asama hummed, leaning forward to peer closely at the book, "A rare enough trinket, but...oh yes, quite powerful indeed, if a bit on the young side. Dear, where does your skills on the ways of the arcane lie?"

"I-I really only know one spell," she admitted with a blush. "S-Sorry…"

"An easy enough problem to solve," Asama smiled. "I believe that I am skilled enough in most arts and schools of magic to be able to help a beginner start their own path." She turned to Issei with a disapproving frown. "I _am_ slightly disappointed with you Issei-kun. How could you not teach Arianna-chan even just a single thing?"

Issei sputtered. "I've known her for all of two days. I didn't have any _time_ to teach her _anything!"_

"Be that as it may," Asama said critically, leaning over, hands hovering over Arianna's necklace. "May I?"

"Y-yes," The little girl nodded, reaching up to her neck and taking it off, handing it to Asama after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Hmm, Arianna-chan, would you let me test something? Issei-kun, you as well. I don't think you have touched upon this particular brand of magic just yet."

Issei grinned, eyes lighting up. "What is it this time?

"Constructions," Asama hummed. "And no, not what you're thinking of Issei-kun. Constructs, made of the elements, held together by magic. It's more difficult than you'd expect," She said admonishingly to Issei. "In fact, it's one of the less used schools of magic for a reason. It's difficult to imbue inanimate objects with any kind of will, even weak ones. Those usually take lots of magic to do so, and some simply see the practice as not worth it. But," Asama quietly emphasized, "There _are_ people who are simply _gifted_ with the art, and those who do so are very sought after by the magic cabals of this world."

"W-what does that mean?" Arianna asked, leaning forward intently towards the shrine maiden.

"Nothing," Asama blinked at her, "I was just sharing a piece of trivia I found fascinating. Kidding," She winked when Issei's jaw dropped. "I'm saying that Arianna-chan's talents might lean towards that particular school of magic rather than the evocations you so prefer Issei-kun. In fact, would you like to try your hand at it, Arianna-chan?"

"Of course!"

()()()()()()()()()

Issei crouched just outside the shrine, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The tiny dirt golem, just a over foot tall, vaguely shaped like a barrel with a head and limbs, stared back at him impassively, not moving at all. With a mental command, the golem twitched, moving its right hand up with almost impressive slowness in a wave.

"What am I doing wrong?" He complained, staring at the construct closer. It was beginning to walk slowly around in a circle, as he ordered it to do. He squinted at the golem, scowling.

"Nothing Issei-kun," Asama assured him, reaching out towards the little thing. With another mental command, Issei made it grab onto the maiden's fingers with its rounded arms. "Forgive me for saying, but I believe that this is simply one of those things that you will never excel at."

Issei frowned, leaning against his cane, staring down at his golem hard. Then, he deliberately turned towards where Arianna was practicing. A life-sized, human-like figure that was around Issei's height was currently playing jan-ken with Arianna. The problem was, the golem _won_ a few games, though Arianna didn't look too unhappy about losing to a barely-sentient being.

"How does she _do_ that?" He muttered to himself, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're using the _exact same_ calculations. How come hers is bigger and better?" Issei glowered at the tiny thing who refused to gain intelligence like Arianna's did.

"I don't know," Asama shrugged an elegant shoulder. "Don't look at me like that Issei-kun," She said with a wry smile. "In this particular style, I'm simply mediocre. I don't exactly know the specifics of how it works, or what makes it work, only how to make it work. My particular talents lie...somewhere else" Her grin turned a tad smug, hiding it behind one sleeve.

"Issei-nii, Issei-nii, look, look!" Arianna cried out, and the two of them turned to see the girl being lifted on the shoulder of the golem while it ran around in circles slowly. "I think he can actually understand me!"

"They can comprehend only very basic instructions in my experience," Asama explained to Issei once he turned to her. "Orders for combat usually, though some of them have been used for menial labor and other such things. I don't believe something of that level can completely grasp the more complex instructions," Asama watched as Arianna excitedly told the golem to do a cartwheel. It did it, albeit very sloppily, dirt spilling out of it as it did so. "Of course, this is far from my own specialty, and I have never used a grimoire in using magic and it's undoubtedly affecting Arianna-chan's magic casting. To quite an impressive degree I must admit. Though-" Asama blinked, looking up sharply to the entrance of the shrine.

"What is it Asama-nee?" Issei asked curiously, following her gaze.

"The Beelzebub," she calmly said, just as the figure of Ajuka strode up past the last torii of the shrine.

"Hello, Asama-san, Issei," He greeted casually, before smiling pleasantly at Arianna with a curious look in his eyes. "And who is this exactly? I've seen her in action last night- good work on your creations by the way, a little underdeveloped and underpowered, but done well enough for a child- but I don't really know your name."

"A-Arianna. Arianna Bianchi," She stammered, taking a step back from Ajuka. "N-Nice to meet you."

"And you as well Arianna-chan," He smiled gently, "But I digress. Issei-kun, could we talk?"

"I will prepare tea," Asama said calmly in a voice that brooked no arguments. "You two can talk in my shrine whilst you wait. Arianna-chan, come help me."

Ajuka's lips twitched into a smile as he nodded towards the woman's retreating back.

"Overprotective isn't she? She's placed herself, and by extension, you in her seat of power, the place where she is most likely able to fight me should I ever decide to oppose you all. Not a bad decision all in all," Ajuka shrugged and followed through the door, "But prevention is always, _always_ better than a cure." He unclasped his cloak, throwing it carelessly on the air, where it hung as if on an invisible hook.

Ajuka settled himself into the table, Asama directly on the other side of him. After a few moment's hesitation, Issei settled themselves on the sides.

"So, what's the thing you wanted to talk to me about?" Issei asked, picking up a cup of tea and bringing it to his lips.

"Well, I believe that it's only fair to tell you about this after all your contributions to Kuoh Town's safety," Ajuka said casually, "But the Three Factions have decided on trying something in order to, shall we say, soothe the rather rocky relationships all of us have been having since the incident a few days ago." Ajuka grimaced. "We aren't exactly sure that it will be successful, but peace is a worthy enough goal for us to try everything." He sighed. "We're sending envoys from the other sides into Kuoh Town in order to try and convince the other sides that coexistence is possible between all three of us."

"Bold," Asama acknowledged, "But with little chance of success. Even now, the advantage is still in the Devil's side being that this is Devil territory. For this to have a chance of working, you must all at least _try_ to have equal footing with the others."

"I know," Ajuka sighed. "That's why the envoys that the Fallen Angels are sending includes Baraquiel in their ranks, while the Church has plans to send over Griselda Quarta herself to Kuoh."

Issei heard Asama's sharp intake of breath. "Oh...Are you sure that's a good idea Ajuka-dono?"

"Serafall came up with it," He smiled wryly. "I have only complete and utmost faith in her."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Asama asked in the exact same tone as her previous question.

"I don't exactly have much choice," Ajuka grimaced. "But...it's a start. Maybe if it's successful, we'll start one such as this all over the world, and we'd finally get the peace all of us have been wanting for so long."

"Why can't you just declare peace? If all of you want it anyway?" Issei asked curiously.

"It's...more complicated than that Issei," He blew air deeply. "Politics, so much politicking is the prime reason, and from our side, it's mostly the ones that opposed our ascension to our current seats that is against having cordial relations with the Angels, Fallen or otherwise. And we can't just kill off everyone that disagrees with us, cathartic though that particular thought is. Most of the Pillar families carry an integral value to them that is simply vital to the continued existence of Devils. That, and the fact that if we all resorted to killing people off wantonly, then it makes our allies wary of us, and a coalition of enough of them might be enough to threaten even us." Ajuka frowned before shaking his head. "Just know that we need to do something like this Issei-kun, and that's that."

"So when will this happen?" Issei asked, leaning forward, not-quite dread pooling up in his stomach for the answer. "And how long are they staying? Rias-senpai said it'll be a few weeks."

"They'll arrive here in a month and a half's time, just after the start of your new semester in Kuoh Academy. Most of them will transfer here as students, while the rest will either serve as teachers or otherwise will be employed somewhere in the school to ensure that no foul play will happen."

"So I have to actually _deal_ with them?" Issei muttered. "This is gonna suck."

"Well, you're not exactly being forced to interact with them Issei-kun," Ajuka said. "This is a way of showing that we can coexist with each other, so your presence isn't exactly needed."

"With the way my luck has been going so far, I'm pretty sure at least _ONE_ big thing will happen every month or something." Issei sighed. "I'm not banned from asking them how their magic works am I?"

"No, you're not," Ajuka leaned back, steepling his fingers. "In fact, that may actually be...preferable. Yes, a third party reaching out to share his knowledge...that may actually work." Ajuka nodded. "Issei, if talks go well, then I have a favor to ask of you. Do it, and I will owe you for that single task. It's not particularly difficult. In fact, I believe it might actually be beneficial to you."

Issei growled. "I'm starting to think that someone from the supernatural owing me isn't really worth the hassle of actually _doing_ something for them."

Ajuka actually cracked a smile at that. "It's just you helping the envoys with their magic Issei. I believe that it might actually be a good icebreaker for you to be able to make yourself be liked amongst them. Or, at the very least, for them to give you the respect you deserve."

"I still don't think it's worth-"

"I'll even pay you if you wish," Ajuka continued, "Something like that would actually be similar to the consultations some magical cabals offer. For similar rates, and at your particular skill level, well," He pulled out a phone from inside his ridiculously elaborate robes, punching in a number into the screen and showing it to him, "I believe something like this would be a fair rate for that kind of thing."

Issei nearly choked on air. "T-that's what I get for working a month?" He said weakly. Damn, he may not be the type of person that exists solely for material things, but it didn't change the fact that that's a LOT of money.

"For a twenty-four hour consulting job _._ " Ajuka corrected. At his dropped jaw, Ajuka explained. "Issei-kun, you may not be able to tell because of your particular talents, but magic is very, _very_ hard work, especially crafting new magic circles on the fly. In fact, for the average magician, just being able to create their own version of _three_ magna-complexity magical evocational circles, and being able to make adjustments without consulting their tomes and grimoires, is a noteworthy feat. You aren't exactly what the world would call _normal,_ and your input as a consultant for this kind of thing is worth this much, believe me."

"Bu-but are you sure?" Issei asked, mind still a bit dazed from the figure Ajuka had shown him. "I get all that just for _teaching_? That's _all_ I'm going to do?"

"Talking with the envoys about magic yes," Ajuka nodded.

"And I don't have to fight or do anything if I don't want to?"

"Ideally, there would not be any need for such a thing, but essentially yes. You are free to walk away from any conflict you see."

"And you won't hold it against me if I do so?"

"We will not."

"This sounds too good to be true." Issei said suspiciously.

"Well, of course it will bring benefit to us, far more than just monetary in nature," Beelzebub nodded. "What we hope for is, that with you leading lessons about magic, the envoys will be more comfortable when it comes to actually talking to each other."

"It would also make it easier for the other major powers in the world to accept it when Issei-kun would ever expand his influence." Asama observed calmly, "You'd merely point towards this group of Angels, Devils, and the Fallen learning under him and showing how much they learned under Issei."

Ajuka tilted his head towards Asama but said nothing.

"And," She continued, narrowing her eyes at him, "it would do nothing but good things to the devil's reputation when Issei-kun turns into a major power, and it shows that he grew in devil-held territory, perhaps even encourage other magicians to form pacts with devils because of Issei-kun's influence. Is that right?"

"I wouldn't quite say that it would do nothing but good for us," Ajuka hummed, "But most of what you said is accurate. There's really no downside to you Issei, except perhaps, to shine a spotlight upon you, but what you did the past few months has already made you into a hot topic of the supernatural. Something like this really isn't much compared to that. In fact, I'm surprised you haven't been approached by a representative of the major cabals yet."

 _"_ _He didn't know,"_ Issei frowned as he realized that, looking down at his tea before meeting Ajuka's eyes, trying to hide his inner thoughts.. "If I'm going to do this, then I want, no, _need_ something more from you, and anyone else who's in this plan of yours."

Ajuka's expression never changed. "What is it?"

"Books," Issei replied. "Magical theory on whatever school it is you devils use, what the Fallen use, what the Angels use." He thought for another second and said. "Biology too if you have it. Culture as well. I need to understand all those if you really want me to do what you're asking me to do."

"Of course," Ajuka nodded. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes." Issei nodded slowly. "I'd consider it a part of your payment for this if you give me all your books on magical constructs."

"Magical constructs?" Ajuka rose an eyebrow, eye flicking towards Arianna. His lips twitched, "Already looking out for someone I see. Well, expect those books to show up in your house within the week. The cash payments of course, will not start until you begin your lessons. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will have to discuss this with Azazel and the others. I'm sure that they'll be happy to know that at least one thing's assured to us." Ajuka finished off the last of the tea in his cup, nodding towards Asama, Issei, and Arianna in turn. His cloak flew towards him, clasping itself around his neck. Asama never took her eyes off him until he left the premises, before shutting the door close without touching it.

"He didn't know," Issei frowned, "I thought that he knows everything that happens in Kuoh." Issei leaned back on his hands, staring at the ceiling contemplatively. "That's actually kind of interesting I guess."

"What do you mean Issei-kun?"

"Earlier today, Arianna and I were approached by someone named Agata Sibilia from Rosenkreuzer."

Asama's eyebrows rose, before sighing. "Could you please catch me up Issei-kun? I'm afraid I don't quite understand just why Ajuka seems so high-strung."

Issei tilted his head, remembering that Asama wasn't actually aware of the events of the previous night. He told her the entire story, from the assassination attempt, to getting to the meeting, to Loki's intervention, to the repeated assassination attempt on his way back home. He also told Asama about the visit from Rosenkreuzer, showing her the card they handed him.

"I got one too. Though I think they were just being polite about it," Arianna handed in her own card, looking a bit disappointed.

"Interesting," Asama looked over at the cards. "The right hand of Malina herself came by to offer you a position. Your name is spreading faster though the international community quicker than I expected."

"Who is Malina anyway?" Issei complained. "She sounds like she's a big deal. How come I don't know her?"

Arianna gasped, while Asama's lips twitched. "Issei-kun, you've been part of the supernatural circle for only a few months so it's understandable that you don't know. But Malina Sokolovski is a legend among contemporary magicians. You do not know her because you have an almost instinctual grasp on Solomon's original draft of magic, and while Merlin's school is far easier, and simpler, to learn, it simply cannot match up to Solomon's in terms of output. Malina Sokolovski was the one who managed to create something that reconciled the two, nearly one hundred years ago, and to this day, it's still the most widely used style of magic, now called the contemporary school of magic."

"That's actually pretty amazing," Issei admitted. "But how did she even- Wait, one hundred years ago? How old _is_ she?!"

"She really hasn't said anything about that." Asama shrugged. "But that only makes her more dangerous. That, and the fact that Rosenkreuzer has connections to _everything._ The Abrahamic Factions, the Greek Pantheon, the Norse, everyone. They act as the biggest information brokers in the world, as well as outsourcers of manpower. The treasure trove of knowledge she must keep and the sheer amount of people working under her, both directly and indirectly...well, Rosenkreuzer is one of the biggest cabals in the world for a reason."

"Can I worry about that later?" Issei sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he's added yet another thing to his plate. They just kept coming, one after the other. "What do you think will happen to Kuoh?"

"Most likely? It'll just be displays of power, meant to cow one another from attacking. After that, I assume that they will get used to the rhythm of Kuoh Town, perhaps not enough to regard this place as a home, but comfortable enough I would hazard. Maybe tensions will boil over and fighting will restart, but I highly doubt that. Every side wants peace right now, so they'll probably be on their best behavior."

Issei sighed, muttering under his breath. "Why the hell is everything happening in this damned place?"

 **[Power attracts Power, My Host.]**

Issei flinched as his left arm suddenly cloaked itself in power, even though the Boosted Gear didn't show itself. The power gathered itself behind his palm, a sort of green glow appearing on it.

 **[You've begun to truly awaken as a being with Power, and what you have experienced the past moments of your life since coming into control over the arcane is but the beginning of it all. Many a previous Host of mine has experienced the exact awakening, and many of them have failed to cope. Some have been slain by contemptible adversaries, others have fallen to respectable Powers that they have simply failed to overcome, but many more have fallen to the fangs of the White One.]** A sort of grudging respect tinted Ddraig's voice. **[The scent of Dragon begins to fill this land, and you will only have more encounters, either with those seeking to ally themselves with you, or those who wish to slay you to test their dominance, until such a time you prove yourself to be untouchable. I suggest you find a way to sear into the world the might of the Red Dragon Emperor, and soon, if you wish to live in relative peace, My Host.]**

"Hello Ddraig," Asama inclined her head in an unmistakable gesture of respect, if a slightly shallow one. "Have you been well?"

 **[As well as can be expected, goddess.]** Ddraig answered back, **[I have finally began to shake off the lethargy that clings to me whenever I awake to a new host.]**

"Y-Your arm can talk." Arianna whispered, eyes shining brightly. "I-is this the legendary Ddraig-sama…"

 **[That I am,]** Ddraig acknowledged. **[Constructing entities of magic and matter are your specialty is it not?]**

"Y-yes! Yes it is!" Arianna started, apparently not expecting him to address her.

 **[Not a branch of magic usually explored,]** He rumbled, **[Not even by my previous hosts. Though it seems my current one is looking to change that.]**

"It's...not really difficult to make them," Issei frowned, mulling over his thoughts. "But…I just don't see much point in using them in the middle of a fight."

Arianna seemed to deflate at that. "Y-yeah. I guess it's pretty useless huh."

"That is not what Issei-kun said, Arianna-chan," Asama said, gently but firmly. "Issei-kun specializes in evocation because his particular talents _lie_ in that field. Just because you are not the same does not diminish your value at all. It simply makes you _different._ Now, I don't want to hear any more negative words coming from you, Arianna-chan. Issei-kun, I fully expect you to reign in that kind of negativity from her."

Ddraig chuckled. **[I've never seen this side of you before, Asama of the Mountain. I find myself liking this version of yourself much more than the past faces you have shown me.]**

"Circumstances change Ddraig, and even immortals can change given enough incentive."

 **[Hmph. I wonder what the old Ddraig would have said, should he see what happened to us because of Pride. The most powerful of Dragons, locked into a container that is passed around humans because of our own actions. I imagine I would have laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all.]**

"What does it feel like?" Issei asked, " Being in a Sacred Gear like that?"

 **[Humbling, I suppose,]** Ddraig hummed. **[We Dragons value our freedom, perhaps much more so than any other race. In my true form, a single flap of my wings would have caused storms throughout the world, my breath could cause even the most powerful and courageous of beings to flee in fear, and my howls alone could make decay the life from all those who hear it. And yet now, I sit impotent in a teenage boy's soul. Yes, humbling is the right word for it I would say.]**

"I'll make the world remember the Red Dragon Emperor," Issei found himself saying before he really thought about it. "Just you see Ddraig. I'll be the most powerful Sekiryuutei that will ever be."

Ddraig chuckled. **[Talk is cheap, Issei Hyoudou. Your claws and fangs and scales have not yet been tested, not truly. You may have bested Chazakiel, a worthy enough milestone, but not what you should truly strive for. The most powerful of my Hosts have bested two hosts of the White One in his lifetime. You will find yourself hard-pressed to match that feat. But who knows? You have surprised me once, Issei Hyoudou, and you may surprise me yet. ]**

()()()()()()()()()

"Oi Issei, what're you gonna do over the break?" Matsuda asked Issei the moment lunch break started.

"Don't have any plans." He shrugged. "So I'll probably just play games or read some books or something. What about you Motohama?"

"I'm tutoring my little sister," The four-eyes grimaced. "She's about to enter middle-school next year, and my parents want her to go to the middle school here, so I have to bring her up to snuff."

"Eeeh? That sounds boring," Matsuda said. "I guess I can join the photography club or something. I think they have an upcoming winter-themed shoot every week of the break."

"Issei-kun," The door to their room opened, and Kiba appeared. After the usual rounds of the girls in the classroom all hurrying to greet the "prince of Kuoh," the blond made his way towards the three of them. "Buchou's asking for you,"

"Right now?" Issei complained. "I haven't even started eating yet!"

"Um, she said it's urgent," Kiba laughed weakly.

"Fine, fine," Issei huffed. "You two better not eat my lunch while I'm away!" He threatened Matsuda and Motohama, grabbing his cane and starting to walk with Kiba.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." They waved off his concerns, already picking their way through his lunchbox.

"Assholes," Issei sighed. "So, what's this about? Dammit, is _someone new attacking the town_?"

"I'm afraid I don't know Issei-kun, though I don't think that we're under attack quite that quickly. Based on data, I suppose the next one isn't due for another two or three weeks."

"That's really not funny Kiba," Issei groaned. "Fuck, I'm pretty sure that's actually going to happen now!"

"Sorry?" Kiba offered.

"Shut up," Issei scowled. "Dammit, I don't want to get into any more trouble."

Kiba's smile directed at him was strained, opening the door to the Occult Research Club building for him, the magical threshold parting before Issei.

"Buchou, I've brought Issei-kun."

"Issei-kun," The devil nodded, looking a lot better than the last time he's seen her. She looked healthier, less haggard and pale. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your lunch." She inclined her head towards the coffee table in the middle of the room. A box of cake laid open, Koneko picking at a piece she had cut for herself, curling up on herself on the couch.

""Would you want some tea as well? Or I can make some coffee if you'd like?" Akeno asked politely. "And please, make yourself comfortable."

Issei shrugged, laying down his cane and plopping down onto the opposite end of the couch Koneko was on. "Tea's fine. So what did you call me in for?" Issei thanked Akeno as she poured him a cup from a porcelain pot.

"Straight into business already?" Rias said with a hint of a smile. "Can't we have a bit of fun between friends first?"

Issei shrugged. "Sure, if that's what you want."

The smile dropped slowly from Rias' lips to be replaced with a frown. She paused for a while, silence settling over the Occult Research Clubroom.

"You are aware of my betrothal to Riser Phenex correct?"

Issei nodded.

"News just reached me that my _lovely_ fiance," Issei didn't know that it was possible for someone like Rias to put in that much sarcasm in one word, "has just won his eighth victory in the Rating Games."

"And that's...bad?" Issei guessed.

"He won through an overwhelming victory. His opponent didn't even manage to _touch_ Riser." Rias said. "That sets his record as eight wins and two losses."

"Well, there you go." Issei said. "Just look at those two Rating Games and see how they beat Riser."

"Those losses were a gift from Riser to the allies of the Phenex. In reality, those two losses of his did not count. Unofficially, he's been undefeated."

"Oh." Issei leaned back in his chair, keeping his cup floating in the air. "What did you call me here for?"

"Issei-kun," Rias stood up from her chair, walking around her table to stand in front of Issei, and bowed to him. "Please teach us magic!"

"What." Issei said flatly.

"I...I realize now that what I have isn't enough," Rias admitted, still with her head bowed. "I realized that I've been too dependent on my, no, my family's gifts. I've never once tried to learn anything beyond that, and because of that...because of that I got hurt through my own arrogance and stupidity. My whole life I've wanted to be someone other than Rias of Gremory, but I've done the wrong thing by relying on the Bael side of my heritage. So now...now, I want to gain power through my efforts! Please, teach me!"

Issei stared down at Rias. From what he's seen of her so far, he never expected her to bow her head, and to him of all people. She had a pride to her, not enough to be considered arrogant, but a pride enough that said she would bow only to those she considered worthy of her respect.

Issei didn't feel worthy of it. He was just a kid, in over his head. Half the time, he didn't even know what he was doing. So why-

"Me as well," Akeno said, moving to stand beside Rias and following her lead, bowing her head to Issei. "A Queen should always stand beside her King, and how could I do so if I let my King get ahead of me?"

"Me too,"

"...and me."

The entirety of the Occult Research Club bowed their heads towards Issei, waiting for his reply.

He sighed, scratching his head. "Fine," He sighed. "But only if you have a place to study at. I don't think Asama-nee would appreciate it if we go practice offensive magic at her shrine."

"Thank you Issei-kun!" Rias all but shouted, looking up, eyes glittering. "I won't disappoint you! I was thinking of studying back in the Underworld over the break. Our house has a place dedicated specifically for learning magic! There's even a library for all the tomes we have, and then-" Rias stopped herself, looking guilty. "O-of course, that's only if you want to come with us. I understand if you have your owns plans to consider. I'm willing to compensate you for the trouble of course. And I'll even ask onii-sama to-" Rias stopped once again, looking conflicted.

Issei looked at her for a second before starting. "I guess I can do that. I didn't really have plans over the break anyways." He thought for a moment before continuing. "Oh right, and can I bring Arianna too? I'm still kinda teaching her, and Asama-nee will be pissed at me if I just leave her for a month."

"I'll arrange for that." Rias nodded, looking excited. "Of course. I'm sorry if I'm being selfish, but I just… you know?" She gestured helplessly."

"I understand." Issei smiled. "Just message me when we're leaving okay?"

()()()()()()()()()

"Hey Arianna, I'm going to the Underworld. Wanna come with?" Issei asked, laid down on the couch reading a book while Arianna scrunched up her face, gripping her grimoire in one hand, the other spread out towards their table. A magical circle revolved slowly on the tabletop, where a rather large chunk of stone laid at the beginning of their siesta, though it had formed itself into a shape vaguely reminiscent of a human, albeit about three inches high, and was currently running around the house pouring water into a rather large bowl it had fetched for Arianna earlier. Now, the water was slowly twisting upon itself, morphing into what looked like a miniature tidal with emerald orbs made of light acting as its eyes.

At Issei's words however, Arianna lost her grip on the circle, and it splashed back onto the bowl, some spilling out into the floor. The stone construct somehow managed to look sad even with just the barest traces of eyes and a mouth, 'head' drooping down.

"Underworld?" Arianna repeated. "What for?"

Issei shrugged. "Friend asked me for help. So, you want in?"

"Of course!" She grinned toothily. " I've always wanted to visit! But it's too expensive for someone like me…" She trailed off sadly.

"You can _pay_ to go to the Underworld?" Issei blinked. "That's...weird."

"You need a lot of papers to be allowed to go through," Arianna nodded. "And those in major Cabals are given priority. I heard that those in Rosenkreuzer can even explore some places in the Underworld that normal people can't go to. Have you been to the Underworld before Issei-nii?"

"Yeah," Issei confirmed. "Few months ago. It kinda felt like just another town honestly."

"Really?" Arianna sounded disappointed. "Well, I'd love to see it for myself. Are kaa-san and tou-san coming along?"

Issei paused. That didn't sound like a bad idea. He always wanted to treat his parents to a vacation, and this counted...right?

He took out his phone, messaging Rias about it. Her reply arrived around a half minute after his initial message.

"Hey Mom, Dad," he called out. "Do you wanna go see the Underworld?"

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Fuck, that was a long-ass time between updates. Sorry, but that was mostly college doing its best to screw us students over. Mostly finished this on the Holy Week break, but even then I had to finish 5 projects while writing this.**

 **Reviews are helpful and appreciated**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

"Thank you Lord for this safe flight." A person bent over his seat whispered, hands clasped in a prayer.

 **Thank you for flying Italian Airlines. You may now leave the plane. Enjoy your stay in Japan.**

A host of stewardesses began to guide all of them to the exit, each one of them exceptionally pretty. Most of the males there took the time to give them an appreciative once over and the faithful one was no different.

Still, after a while, he shook his head and left the place, navigating his way around.

"It feels so long ago since I've been here." One Hyoudou Issei said with a wide-if a bit nostalgic- grin, looking around the place to see the minor differences that had happened during his nearly decade long stay in another continent.

 ** _[You were away for eight years partner. It's not that long ago.]_** A voice came from the direction of his left arm, unheard by all except for Issei himself.

Issei rolled his eyes and thought back to the voice . _'I was eight when I left Ddraig. That's half my life so far already.'_

 ** _[And your whole life yet in front of you.]_** Ddraig said almost admonishingly. **_[Stop thinking about the details and enjoy your life.]_**

Issei's lips twitched into a smile. Trust Ddriag to ruin a simple trip down memory lane into a life lesson. He finally reached the exit, buying a pack of Japanese sweets along the way to go along with the Italian ones he bought in the previous airport nearly twelve hours ago. Though, with the time difference, he had left Italy at 2PM and, twelve hours later, arrived in Japan at 6PM.

""Issei!"" Two shouts of joy reached him, and Issei looked to see his parents, older now, with a touch of grey in their hair and an extra line or two in their faces, but still such a powerfully familiar sight. He saw tears gather in their eyes as they walked towards him eagerly and he felt his vision turn watery. He furiously wiped them away and all but ran forward in his eagerness.

His mother was the first to reach him, literally throwing herself at her son. His father stood at their side, grinning at Issei as the younger man fumbled around before returning the hug.

"You've grown so tall." Hyoudou Takami sniffled, wiping her tears with her palm and beaming up at him proudly. "My little baby boy's a man now."

Issei grinned back, trying his best not to start crying again.

The cab back to their home was energetic, his parents prompting Issei to tell them about his life in Italy.

The chatter didn't stop, continuing as they showed Issei around the house to refamiliarize himself with it. He didn't know why, but it seemed...smaller somehow. Like it shrunk. He knew it didn't make sense, but he swore that their house seemed a lot bigger when he was a kid.

He entered his room, laying down his luggage on the corner of his old room. He smiled as he sat down on his bed, running his hand through the comforter, freshly laundered and pressed. It felt so good to be home again. He may have gained a lot of friends in Italy, but family...family was different. He closed his eyes and laid down on the bed, groaning at the sheer pleasure the simple act gave him. He was feeling kinda tired.

Maybe he should sleep for just a bit…

()()()()()()()()()

Takami fussed around the house, fixing everything she could get her hands on. She dusted the tabletops, rearranged the bottles in the pantry, all while preparing a japanese lunch for her son. Miso soup, tempura, okonomiyaki, tamagoyaki, all ready while a whole cheesecake, Issei's favorite food, waited for them in the fridge.

"Kaa-san, you're too nervous," Her husband wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Why shouldn't I be?" She said. "Our son's finally back with us after eight years. Of course I'd be wanting only the best for him!"

"You shouldn't stress about it you know," Kuzuki sighed. He turned, filling a small plate with manju they had bought on the way to the airport and handing it to her. "Give him this at least, and talk to him. I'll handle everything here."

"But dear-"

"Go," He emphasized his point by pushing the plate into her hands, and giving her a slight nudge away.

"Fine," She rolled her eyes but unable to hide the skip in her step as she made her way towards her son's room. "Issei, do you want some manjuu?"

She paused as she saw Issei, laid out on his bed, sleeping in the clothes he arrived in.

She smiled, laying down the plate of sweets on his desk she kept clean over the years, and crouched down on his bedside to lay a kiss on his forehead.

"Welcome back home Issei."


End file.
